


To the victor go the spoils

by olympia_m



Series: Master Nikolaj chose his star [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: A bit of gore, Angst with a Happy Ending, Castration Threat, Historical Fantasy, Large Cock, M/M, Public Claiming, Public Humiliation, Public Sex, Rape, Reluctant Consent, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, SO MUCH FLUFF, Swordfighting, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violence, a lot of ceremonies, cheesy tropes, historically-inspired ceremonies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:08:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 55,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26088445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olympia_m/pseuds/olympia_m
Summary: A victorious emperor makes peace with the people he defeated in a traditional ceremony.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Master Nikolaj chose his star [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1929934
Comments: 64
Kudos: 158





	1. Ritual

The Master of Ceremonies hit the floor with the end of his staff three times, producing a sequence of loud thuds. When their echo faded, he announced in a loud voice, “His Imperial Majesty’s Bride is here.” The massive oak doors of the Great Hall opened slowly after the pronouncement. 

Nikolaj, First Emperor of his name, did not hide his leer, nor how his cock had half-hardened at the words. Quite the opposite: he spread his legs, showing off his proud member, and causing a stir among his courtiers. Their whispers rose like waves behind gilded fans of lace or silk. Nikolaj grinned. He caressed his dick, bringing it to full hardness. “Three cheers for my Bride,” he shouted, raising his glass with his left hand and taking a sip.

His courtiers erupted in loud cheers, raising their glass a second after him. Their hurrahs drowned the soft steps of his Bride, but when they died down, how much louder did his Bride’s slow procession sound. Tiny bells jingled enticingly, announcing that that Bride was approaching. Nikolaj felt his mouth go dry with desire. 

It didn’t matter that he had never seen his Bride, and that behind the veil, his Bride could be the ugliest creature in his Empire. What turned him on was that his Bride was the representative and the embodiment of a whole nation conquered by war. In his Bride’s submission, a whole country submitted to him. In his Bride’s body, he took his pleasure of a whole land. Everything that had been theirs was now his; their crops, their livestock, their lives. 

But taking a Bride also meant giving. Through this ritual, he assured the defeated people that their enmity was a thing of the past. He would protect the new part of his empire as a husband protected his wife, with all his might and all his heart. It was a heady thing, having so much power and responsibility. 

Truth be told, though, he would really prefer it if his new Bride was not ugly. The last one had been quite lacking in looks. Nikolaj had only taken her once, and then let her live her life in peace in one of his estates. She had proven a meek and timid creature that wouldn’t make any trouble for him, but Nikolaj was happier with her living at the other side of his empire. 

The jingling grew louder, but suddenly it stopped. Nikolaj frowned; he opened his mouth to ask what was the matter when the musical tinkling started again and his Bride appeared at the threshold. His cock throbbed appreciatively. His Bride was tall and slim. He liked that. 

After that brief stop, his Bride continued her procession in the Hall. Her steps sounded particularly soft on the white marble floor as they were accompanied by the delicate laughter of bells. “All hail my new Bride from Quhjan,” he shouted happily, raising his glass again.

“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah,” his courtiers replied loudly.

“Quhjan was beautiful,” he smiled as he drank a little more of the sweet, dark yellow wine. “Nothing but wide, open plains under clear blue skies.” Most of the Quhjani people lived in tents. No wonder his Bride had stopped the moment she entered the Hall; poor thing must have been overwhelmed. 

Mark, his Chancellor and the one would officiate over the ceremony, nodded. “It had been an easy land to conquer, Your Majesty,” he said quietly. 

Nikolaj smiled, appreciating the man’s discretion in keeping his voice low. “No need for such reminders,” he said just as softly. “Today is a happy day for all of us.” He raised his glass again. “To peace.”

“To peace.” His courtiers drank to that, and then the murmurs started again. 

Nikolaj couldn’t blame them. “She looks impressive,” he whispered, making Mark nod again. “I hope she is good-looking.”

“Pity you can’t take her with the veil on,” Mark snorted. 

“Indeed,” he sighed. He still couldn’t get over how totally ugly his previous Bride was. Fucking her had been necessary, but it had been an ordeal for him. 

He took another sip of his wine, and studied his slowly approaching Bride. As per tradition, she was covered head to toe with a blood red veil with gold embellishments that glittered in the candlelight. The veil was so thick, he could not make out her figure underneath. Whoever had first started this tradition must have liked surprises. 

“She’s taller than your other Brides,” Mark smiled. 

He hummed in agreement. “And now we’ll see what she looks like,” he grinned, looking as his Bride stepped onto the circle of red granite that marked the centre of the Great Hall. 

They had instructed her well. The moment she was in the middle of the circle, she stopped and fell to her knees, the veil pooling around her.

Mark stood up from his chair, and stepped down from the elevated podium where only he and Nikolaj were allowed to sit. He crossed the corridor created by the file of courtiers on either side of the red circle and stopped when he was at its edge. “Quhjan, do you surrender and submit to His Imperial Majesty?”

Nikolaj smiled encouragingly, even though he knew his Bride could not see him. 

She bowed deeply, folding herself in two until her forehead must have touched the floor. “I do,” she replied in a low, but steady, voice. Nikolaj liked her even more; the previous one had whimpered her responses. 

“Quhjan, do you vow to obey His Imperial Majesty now and forever?”

“I do,” she repeated. 

“Quhjan, do you vow to support and honour His Imperial Majesty now and forever?”

“I do.”

Mark nodded and the Master of Ceremonies banged his staff three times. “Quhjan now belongs to His Imperial Majesty. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah.”

“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah,” the courtiers approved happily. 

“Quhjan,” Mark continued once the din had stopped, “His Imperial Majesty vows to protect you, now and forever.”

The Master of Ceremonies hit the floor again, commanding everyone’s attention. “Quhjan now belongs to His Imperial Majesty. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah.”

“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah.”

“Quhjan,” Mark said solemnly, “His Imperial Majesty vows to defend you, now and forever.”

“Quhjan now belongs to His Imperial Majesty. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah,” the Master of Ceremonies shouted for the third time. 

This time, the acclamation was deafening. Mark gave him a small nod and Nikolaj allowed himself to truly relax. It had all gone well. After all, the Chronicles contained some frightful examples of ceremonies that had gone badly; it only took a few disgruntled courtiers or a terrified Bride to make this simple ceremony into a disaster. 

No need to worry this time, though. Their campaign against Quhjan had been swift and with few losses on their sides. His courtiers had been happy about that. As for his Bride, she seemed a clever girl. If only she were pretty, Nikolaj might let her stay in a palace nearby. 

When everyone was quiet again, Mark raised his Chancellor’s staff, a heavy, golden rod with a snake climbing around it, symbolizing the firmness and wisdom of his office. “Quhjan,” he said a little more softly, “you belong to His Imperial Majesty now.” With the end of his staff, where the snake raised its head, he lifted the Bride’s veil, slowly revealing her still bowed figure. 

When he was done, his courtiers started again. This time, their voices were like the roar of a wild sea. At this point, with any other Bride, they would whisper about her hair. And this one had such long and lovely hair, the colour of burnished copper. How beautifully adorned it was, with gold chains and strings of pearls intricately entwined with long thick braids. The Master Hairdresser had outdone himself. 

“It’s a man,” Nikolaj shouted what they were saying behind their fans. 

His Bride stayed still. Clearly a person of great dignity; those Quhjani had chosen well. 

Nikolaj started laughing. “I haven’t had a male Bride in years,” he said as he stood up and walked down the dais. “It makes for a change,” he continued as he crossed the room until he too was into the red circle and studied his Bride carefully. 

As per tradition, he only wore hair ornaments, anklets with tiny bells, and handcuffs that kept his hands tied behind his back. The handcuffs were supposed to symbolize the defeat of the Bride’s nation, but for a moment, he thought that they might be necessary with this one. His Bride was not thin; he was lean. His back, his arms, his thighs, they were all muscled, making him wonder if, in addition to having a rare male Bride, he was also about to have an even rarer – no, a unique – warrior Bride. 

“Look at me,” he told his Bride, ignoring how the courtiers still chattered excitedly. They hadn’t seen a male Bride in years either.

His Bride lifted himself up slowly and stared at him calmly. Nikolaj felt pleased. His Bride had large, grey eyes, a small, full mouth, and delicate, almost feminine features. Yes, this Bride was pretty to look at. His cock bobbed against his stomach enthusiastically. 

“As you see,” he said stroking himself and drawing his Bride’s attention to that part of his anatomy, “I am already hard for you.”

His Bride swallowed nervously for a moment. The next second he nodded, looking collected again. 

“It is part of the ceremony that you prepare me,” he said, trying to sound kind, while he felt his mounting excitement burn inside his belly. 

His Bride slid towards him. He stared up at him for a moment, and then his mouth opened, his tongue snaked out, and tasted the tip. Still looking at him, his Bride kissed him gently. His rosy lips opened and Nikolaj couldn’t help but thrust inside him, eager to feel the wetness of his mouth, but careful not to choke him. 

He was not disappointed. His Bride’s lips were firm, his mouth was wet and warm, and his eyes, looking straight at him, were full of the desire to please him. The more his Bride sucked him, delicately and inexpertly, the more his Bride stared at him for guidance, the more Nikolaj wanted to keep this Bride nearby and train him properly. 

With a smile, he pushed his Bride’s head back. His cock left its warm sheath reluctantly, but the prospect of what was to come, made him even more enthusiastic. “I will take you now,” he said and, as per tradition, he threw his Bride to the floor and kicked his legs open. “I now take Quhjan,” he roared as he knelt behind his Bride, grabbed and raised his hips with one hand, and with the other, he guided his cock into his Bride’s small hole.

His Bride shuddered and screamed in pain, fingers clenching helplessly behind his back. His Bride had been prepared for him, yet Nikolaj was big and he could not be gentle, not with the weight of decades of tradition behind him. 

“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah. His Imperial Majesty takes Quhjan,” the Master of Ceremonies shouted, drowning his Bride’s anguished cries. 

“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah. His Imperial Majesty takes Quhjan,” his courtiers repeated in one voice, and continued shouting, encouraging him to take his new Bride faster and faster, deeper and deeper, harder and harder. 

Nikolaj listened to them. He thrust into his Bride with abandon, holding her down with the weight of his body, and feeling the exquisite pleasure of his tight hole clenching around him as his Bride whimpered and shuddered. 

So exquisite was the pleasure that Nikolaj could not hold back for long. With a particularly deep thrust, as if he wanted to bury himself completely inside his Bride, he came, feeling his pleasure engulf him like a hot, white flame, and burn him to happy cinders. Satisfied, he raised his hand making a fist. “I have taken Quhjan,” he shouted, and his cock tried to rise once more and take Quhjan again. 

His Master of Ceremonies banged his staff. “Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah. His Imperial Majesty has taken Quhjan.”

The announcement sent his courtiers into a new frenzy of pleased shouts. Some shouted hurrahs, and some shouted ‘Long live His Joyful and Victorious Imperial Majesty.’

Even more pleased, Nikolaj accepted the little key that would open his Bride’s handcuffs from Mark’s hands. He unlocked them and pulled out of his trembling and sniffling Bride. Immediately, Mark gave him a golden plug. Now that he had taken Quhjan he could be gentle, though, so Nikolaj inserted it into his Bride slowly and with care, examining the puffy, red rim of his hole as he did so. “Nothing is torn,” he assured his Bride with a tender caress over his ass. 

His Bride sighed deeply. Suddenly realizing that his hands were free, he brought them forward and wiped his tears with the back of his palms. 

Nikolaj stood up and accepted a nightshirt from one of his servants. Instead of putting it on, he threw it next to his Bride. “Get dressed,” he told him, enjoying the sight of his pretty Bride moving sinuously off the floor as he raised himself. His new Bride truly was beautiful everywhere. 

He smiled as he nudged his Bride’s soft genitals with his foot. His Bride stopped pulling the nightshirt over his arms. “It would be a waste to cut these jewels before I have used them,” he told Mark, making his Bride sigh in relief and resume dressing. 

“But tradition says…” Mark started protesting. 

“Tradition says male brides are castrated after being taken, but does not say how soon after they are taken, does it?”

Mark frowned. “No.” 

“Good.” He caressed the top of his Bride’s head. His Bride instantly turned to look at him, still looking a little pale after the ceremony, but with the same desire to please in his eyes. “What is your name, Quhjan?”

Brides did not have personal names from the moment they became Brides, instead, they took on the name of their country. That was the tradition. Mark gasped, but prudently stayed quiet. Nikolaj would not abide another protest on how he behaved with his Bride. 

“Elik, Your Majesty.”

Hm. Elik. He wasn’t certain how he felt about it, but he was feeling too happy to find another name for his new Bride. “You can keep your name. Elik,” he tried it. 

His Bride smiled at him. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

His pretty Bride looked even prettier when he smiled. It was fine to let him keep his name. He smiled back and motioned one of his servants to come to him. “Take Elik to my chamber, and make sure he has everything he asks.” He took a nightshirt from the hands of another servant and pulled it over him quickly, so as not to miss the sight of his pretty new Bride, leaving the Hall with awkward steps that betrayed how deeply and well Nikolaj had taken him. 

The moment the doors closed behind his Bride, Nikolaj raised his fist. “I have taken Quhjan,” he laughed. “And let me tell you, I will enjoy taking it again soon.”

His courtiers broke out in another round of hurrahs. Mark shook his head, smiling fondly at him. “Having a male bride was quite the change, Your Majesty.”

Nikolaj clapped him on the back, grinning. “Yes, but it was a nice one. Next time, I will request one, instead of waiting for surprises.”


	2. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of all the ways this story could have gone, I chose the second worse.... oh, well.....

Nikolaj waited until the guards had opened the doors to the Council room and then pushed his wife forward. 

His ministers stood up, gasping, but only Mark spoke. “Your Majesty. The Council is no place for His Majesty's wife.”

Nikolaj grinned. “My wife goes where I go, right, my sweet?” he asked, pinching Elik’s cheek painfully.

Elik nodded, but kept his eyes obediently down. He looked miserable. 

“Everyone but the Council members, leave us. And close the doors,” he barked to the servants and the guards. Hastily they obeyed. Nikolaj looked around. The Council table was the right height for what he planned to do, but far too long. Hm. He grabbed Elik’s wrist and moved at the head of the table, Elik following him quietly. 

His Ministers watched him with curiosity as he stood at one narrow end of the table. Nikolaj’s expression fell as he glanced at his new wife. “Tell me, what are a wife’s duties to her husband, my sweet thing?” he asked Elik. 

“To honour and obey him,” his wife replied very, very quietly. 

“That’s what I thought. Yet, what did you do this morning?”

“I disobeyed you, My Lord.”

Nikolaj nodded, pleased. He turned to his ministers. “I thought I could take my time with my dear, sweet wife,” he sighed, “but, look at him,” he said as he pulled the fine shawl that he’d wrapped around Elik’s shoulders. Elik tried to cover his genitals with his hands, but Nikolaj grabbed them and guided them behind Elik’s back. “How can I resist?”

Mark snorted, yet his gaze stayed on Elik. His other ministers too stared at his wife with lustful appreciation. 

“I have the best of wives,” he continued, slapping Elik in the ass, “and little time to train him. Gentlemen, show me your dicks.”

Everyone paled. 

“Your Majesty,” Mark broke the silence, “even thinking about committing adultery with Your Majesty’s wife is treason, a crime punishable by death.”

He huffed. “This is not treason. This is obeying my order to train my wife, yes, that’s what it is. Well? Out with them.”

One after the other, his ministers reached for their trousers and slowly undid them. Nikolaj studied them carefully. “You, come here,” he called to Pavel, his minister of Justice. Of average size, he had the smallest dick of them all. Behind him, he put Dima and Andrey, whose dicks were almost the same size. Adam was next, followed by Vassily. Mark was at the end, since his dick was almost as thick as Nikolaj’s, though not as long. 

Satisfied, he pushed Elik down, making him kneel next to an armless chair. “Lie on it, sweet thing, and open your legs for your trainers.” 

Squaring his shoulders, and looking away from him, Elik lowered his torso on the chair’s seat and spread his legs. Nikolaj kicked them to indicate he wanted them spread further, and Elik did, until the inner sides of his calves were touching the outer sides of the leg’s chair. 

“Good. If you close your legs, there will be consequences. Now, give me your hands, sweet thing,” he smiled as he removed his belt. With a resigned expression, Elik raised them in offering. Pleased, Nikolaj tied Elik’s wrists together with his sash, and then secured it to the spindle running between the legs. Satisfied, he looked at his pretty wife; with his torso resting on the chair, Elik’s head and back were easily accessible. 

“Pavel,” he said, motioning the man forward. “My wife needs to be trained in all holes.” He moved behind Elik, and pulled at his golden plug. “I want, no, I order you to fuck my wife’s mouth so he can learn how to please me. I will tell you how. Come and face my wife.”

With a wild glint in his eyes, Pavel stepped forward. 

“My sweet thing,” Nikolaj almost purred. “You must start by showing reverence to your husband’s dick. Kiss the head.” He watched as Elik did that. “Nice. Now, open your mouth and start sucking the head gently. No teeth, sweet thing. Is he doing it right?” he asked Pavel. 

Pavel nodded with a happy expression. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good, good.” He pushed the plug back inside. “Pavel, start feeding your cock to my wife, and don’t stop until he has taken you to the root.” 

With an intense frown of concentration, Pavel started pushing his cock very slowly inside Elik’s mouth. Nikolaj toyed with the plug, pulling it out until only the tip was inside him, and then pushing it back. “No teeth, sweet thing. And breathe through your nose, while you can.”

As Pavel drove his dick forward, Elik started chocking. 

“Don’t stop, Pavel. He must learn how to take cock, and he must learn it today.” He smiled at his minister as he caressed Elik’s firm, round ass. “I don’t want to hurt my sweet wife.”

“That is an admirable goal, Your Majesty,” Mark snickered.

“It is, isn’t it?” Ignoring Elik’s gagging noices, he removed the plug and took out a glass bottle of scented oil from one of his coat pockets. “I thought of having special training cocks make for him, but that would take too much time.”

“Yes, this is quicker, Your Majesty,” Pavel gasped. “His throat is so tight.”

Nikolaj’s expression darkened. “I know. Has he swallowed your dick?”

“Not yet, Your Majesty.”

“Then move faster. I want him broken by lunch time, so I can fuck him afterwards without worrying.” He poured some of the oil on his fingers and speared his wife’s ass. Even with Pavel’s cock in his mouth, Elik managed a mournful whimper. “You hear that? They sent me a fucking virgin.”

“That is the custom with Brides, Your Majesty,” Vassily laughed. 

“The problem with virgins is that, once they see me, they try to run away.” He spread his fingers inside Elik. “Even my sweet thing was scared after seeing me, fearing I would tear him apart after last night.”

Mark caressed his cock slowly. “I can understand that. I had to tie my wife down to our bed every night for a week when I married her.”

Nikolaj frowned. “Hm, I didn’t think of that.” He looked down at Elik. “But this is quicker,” he mused. “You had to spent a week to train her. I will spend a morning. Pavel?”

“I’m in, Your Majesty,” he moaned. 

“Good, good. I want you to pull back now and when you are half-way through, you will thrust back inside. You will continue until I tell you to stop. You don’t need to go slowly anymore.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Pavel said happily. 

Nikolaj continued stretching his wife with his right hand as Pavel brutally fucked Elik’s throat and made him tremble. “You will thank me when your training is done, sweet thing,” he reassured Elik, caressing his flank with his left hand. He grinned. “I should write a thank you letter to the Quhjan Elders. They have chosen a most agreeable wife for me.”

Adam reached for a piece of paper and a pen. “Your Majesty?” 

“Yes, you are right, no time like the present. Pavel, stop fucking my wife’s throat and come here,” he said, removing his hand with regret. His wife had such a tight, hot channel. 

Pavel obeyed, leaving Elik to shudder and gasp, trying to breathe. 

“Elik, by now you will have realized that you can breathe with a dick in your pretty mouth,” he chastised his wife. “No need for such inelegant gasps. Dima, start fucking his mouth. Same way as before. Wait until he kisses your head, don’t just thrust your dick like that. He needs to learn how I like it. I like my wife to be respectful and graceful at all things. Yes, that’s better. Pavel, what are you doing?” he asked, noting that he was trying to tuck himself in his breeches. “Come here, I said.”

Pavel came next to him. His cock was glistening with Elik’s saliva. Well, soon Nikolaj’s own cock would be just as beautifully wet. 

“Pavel, I want you to start fucking my wife. Go all the way in, and then pull back, as fast as you can. Elik, you must learn to please me. Tighten your ass around Pavel’s cock as much as you can, and then relax.” He caressed Elik’s back as Pavel began thrusting inside him. “Tighten and relax, sweet thing. Squeeze that cock. Worship it with your whole body. Make your husband happy.”

Elik made a soft sound, but Dima’s groan was louder. “Your Majesty’s wife has a very warm and wet mouth, Your Majesty,” he explained at Nikolaj’s curious look. 

“Really? Make sure to fuck my wife long and deep, all of you,” he turned to his ministers. “I want my dick inside that talented mouth soon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Dima said, saluting him as he snapped his hips forward and forced his cock inside Elik, making him gag. 

“Pavel, how is he? Is he squeezing your cock?”

“He’s trying, Your Majesty,” Pavel replied honestly. 

“Trying is good for now,” Nikolaj nodded. “After all, I’m training you for length and thickness, my sweet,” he smiled as he caressed Elik’s back. “Keep trying, darling. So, Adam. To the Council of Elders of Quhjan, etc. etc.”

Adam scribbled that down.

“I am most pleased with your choice of Bride. You have exceeded my expectations.” He snorted. “Not that they were very high to begin with. Adam, don’t write that.”

“I didn’t, Your Majesty.”

“Good, good. Even though our union will not bear the traditional fruits,” he laughed, winking at Adam. “You can write that. It will bear the fruits of peace and prosperity for our great nation. Quhjan will pay no taxes for five years, in recognition of our special relationship.”

“Your Majesty,” Dima gasped. “No taxes for five years? The loss to the treasury will be substantial.”

“So what? We’ll move forward with the campaign against Oerestand. When we win, we can tax them double.”

Dima opened his mouth. “The Army is not ready for another campaign, Your Majesty,” Vassily cut him off. “We have to wait for at least a year, if not two.”

Nikolaj frowned. He looked down at Elik, being fucked by both men ferociously. They had found a rhythm, and when Dima pushed, Pavel pulled away. When Pavel thrust, Dima retreated. His sweet darling was forced forwards and backwards, yet his legs stayed obediently spread even without being tied. “No taxation for four years? I want to thank them for sending me such a sweet wife. Or do you have any better ideas?”

“Not selling them to slavery should be thanks enough,” Dima growled as he buried himself in Elik. 

“I guess so,” Nikolaj frowned. “Still, my wife is lovely. And it would make her happy to know her people are happy.”

Elik made a little sound as if he agreed, that made Dima glare down. 

“Three years of no taxes, and the right of free city to the former capital.”

“Your Majesty,” Dima protested.

“Your Majesty,” Pavel shouted desperately.

“What?” he growled.

“I want to come, Your Majesty,” he whined.

His wife’s training took precedence for a moment. “Finish inside him, Pavel. I want his hole perfectly trained, and a hole that’s not puffy and sloppy and full of come, is not a trained hole. Dima, when he is done, you will come and continue training my wife.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Dima groaned deeply and reached for his cock. 

So, Dima was about to come inside Elik’s mouth? His wife was so talented. 

With a loud, continuous moan, Pavel thrust once and then froze. “Your Majesty,” he sighed. “Thank you for the honour. Thank you.” He nearly fell to his knees after he pulled out of Elik. 

Nikolaj waved him away. “Dima, here. Andrej, you know what to do?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he leered as he stepped in front of Elik, cock hard and red and pointing upwards. 

Nikolaj adjusted himself. “Where was I?”

“Quhjan will pay no taxes for three years and we grant the city of Jedlowa the right of free city, in recognition of our special relationship.”

“Yes, yes. What else?” He caressed Elik’s back again. He didn’t want to please the Elders of Quhjan, but his wife. He’d ask him what he wanted, and he would give it to him. “Adam, put that letter aside for now. We will…”

Andrej made a strangled noise. “I came, Your Majesty,” he said, lowering his head in shame. 

Nikolaj glared at him. “How dare you?”

“Your Majesty’s wife did something and …”

“Hm…” He adjusted himself again. “Fine, go back. Andrej.”

He didn’t need to be told what to do. With a grin, Adam put down the pen and came to stand in front of Elik. “May I touch Your Majesty’s wife, Your Majesty?” he asked as respectfully as he could while Elik kissed his cock lightly. 

“No,” he snapped. “My wife is not here for your pleasure, but for mine.” He glared at his ministers again. “If I hear anyone of you talk of how you trained my wife, then I will charge you with treason.”

They paled again. Adam’s cock wilted. 

Nikolaj rolled his eyes backwards. “Vassily, come here.”

With a sad look and an even more mournful sigh, Adam moved away from Elik. 

“Vassily, you are not hard either.” He glanced at Mark. His friend was. “Mark,” he shouted as he motioned for Vassily to go stand next to Adam. 

“Yes, Your Majesty.” His cock bobbed against his belly as he walked. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said as he stood in front of Elik. 

Elik whimpered. “It’s big, My Lord,” he cried softly. 

“Yes, my sweet thing. But you will take it so you can learn to take me next, won’t you?”

Elik looked at him with resignation. “Yes, Your Majesty. Forgive me.”

“You must call me ‘Lord’, my sweet,” he said, slapping Elik’s ass. 

“Yes, My Lord,” he whispered, before kissing Mark’s cock with respect. 

“Your Majesty,” Dima cried out. “Your Majesty, thank you for the honour,” he shouted, bowing deeply as he pulled out of his quivering wife. 

“Thank you for your assistance,” Nikolaj said graciously. He looked at Adam and Vassily. It seemed that they had lost their erections for good, even though Adam was still stroking himself with abandon. How could he make his wife go from Dima’s large dick to Mark’s thick one? He had to use something, or wait until one of his ministers got hard again. Dima had done a great job stretching his wife, he admitted, but even as he looked, the little hole started winking, trying to close again. 

“Your Majesty,” Mark called out.

“Yes?”

“If I may,” he said slyly, with a little grin.

“Yes, yes.”

“I think I know what is Your Majesty’s dilemma, and I have a solution.” He motioned with his head to the middle of the large table. 

“What?”

“What’s at the centre?” Mark insisted, still grinning.

The centre? The candle holder. He looked at it. It was a relic from his father’s age, a model of the old man’s pride and joy, the four-masted Northern Star of Happiness, a ship so grand and beautiful that Nikolaj used it every summer. “What?” he shouted again, frowning in horror. 

“The candles, Your Majesty,” Mark almost growled as he forced Elik’s mouth wide open and, disregarding his whimpers, kept pushing forward. 

“The candles,” Nikolaj shouted with joy, covering Elik’s loud gagging noises. He hurried and took out as many candles as he could hold. “What a great idea,” he grinned as he walked back to his wife and thrust the first of them inside him, and then the second and the third. At the fourth his wife made a little sound, at the fifth, a louder sound, and at the sixth, he started shaking. “Shush, just one more, my sweet thing,” he said as he caressed his back, trying to gentle Elik’s trembling. His efforts didn’t work, so he decided to push the seventh candle inside his wife’s hole. How else could he train Elik to take him?

“Where were we?” he asked happily when he was done. 

“I am not sure anymore, Your Majesty,” Pavel admitted sheepishly, making everyone laugh. 

Adam went to his seat and opened his book. “First item in the agenda,” he said, clearing his throat. “The Senate reform.”

Nikolaj looked at Mark. “I don’t think I want to discuss the reform right now,” he admitted. No, he wanted to fuck his wife’s pretty mouth. “Mark, are you ready to break his ass?”  
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Mark grinned. He pulled out, showing off how wet and shiny his cock was. 

Ever so helpful, Nikolaj started taking out the candles. Each time he did, his wife cried out a little. “He’s so sensitive,” he laughed. “There, all nice and open. Get him ready for me, my friend.”

“With pleasure, Your Majesty.”

He stepped in front of Elik, and was pleased to see his wife open her mouth obediently. There was snot running down his nose, and tears spilling from his eyes. “Did that hurt, my sweet thing?”

“He is very big,” Elik sniffled, nodding, sounding wrecked. He gasped, alerting Nikolaj that Mark had breached him. “So big,” Elik whimpered with obvious pain. 

“Not as big as I am.”

His wife nodded miserably. Mark’s thrusting pushed him forward, and he cried out again. “My Lord?” he asked a moment later, visibly trying to regain some of his composure, “Do you not want to use my mouth?” he asked in a hoarse voice. 

“I do, darling, I do,” he said, caressing Elik, pleased at his submissiveness. He took out his handkerchief and started cleaning his face tenderly. “Now, you look so much better,” he smiled. He threw the piece of cloth down and took out his cock. 

Just like he’d done that morning, Elik’s eyes widened at the sight and he paled. Another shove from Mark had him crying out in anguish. “Please, My Lord.”

“Please, what, my sweet?” He vowed that if Elik denied him like he’d done that morning, he would punish him. 

“Please, use my mouth,” Elik gasped brokenly, looking up at him in pain.

Nikolaj pressed his cock against Elik’s lips, and the training worked. Elik’s soft mouth closed in the gentlest and lightest of kisses, and then opened, his lips a red flower that blossomed for him. Nikolaj slipped the head of his cock past the plump petals and immediately felt tender and welcoming suction. “My sweet,” he whispered, caressing Elik’s head, and slowly, but steadily pushed his cock deeper and deeper. 

Elik’s gagging was even more delicious when he felt it than when he heard it. His wife’s throat massaged his dick, squeezing him tightly as Nikolaj impaled him. Elik’s tongue was soft and heavy against his dick, pressing against him, caressing him. 

“A little more, my sweet,” he gasped as he felt Elik’s throat and touched his dick from outside its warm, wet sheath. “Ah, my darling,” he moaned, pulling back, making Elik spill more tears, and then thrusting inside him again. “I know I’m big, my sweet thing,” he continued, his rhythm growing faster and more erratic, “but see how you can take me?”

Mark groaned deeply. “Your Majesty,” he said a moment after catching his breath. “Thank you for the honour.”

Nikolaj acknowledged that with a nod. His need was far too pressing for him to do anything else. With one more push, and both hands wrapped around Elik’s throat, caressing his dick with his thumbs over a layer of silk-soft skin, Nikolaj let himself go. He spilled down his wife’s throat, feeling like he had spilled something of his own self inside Elik. 

“Ah,” he sighed, exhausted and satiated at the same time, “my sweet, sweet darling,” he sighed as he pulled out. 

Elik shuddered. He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again. 

“I made you all dirty again,” Nikolaj smiled as he took a handkerchief from Mark’s hand and wiped Elik’s face again. Even more gently, he untied his hands and helped him stand. With Elik still trembling in his arms, Nikolaj finally took his seat, pulling Elik to sit on his lap. 

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty’s wife’s place is not in the Council,” Mark protested as he tucked himself in. 

Nikolaj grinned. “My wife will not have a place in the Council,” he agreed. “But today, since it’s a special day, he will sit here and I will continue his training.” He hugged Elik tightly. “You will continue sucking my cock, dear wife, so that your mouth learns to be open for me.” He grinned and leaned closer to his wife, so he could whisper in his ear. “And if you ever deny me my rights to your body, my darling wife, I will give you to the guards. And they are not old men who can’t keep it up at the first threat. No, my sweet. Understood?”

Elik paled again. “Yes, My Lord.”

“Good,” he said more loudly. He slapped Elik on the ass, grinning. “You can start now, my sweet thing.”

For someone who’d just been fucked repeatedly and violently, Elik slid gracefully to his knees. Nikolaj smiled approvingly. “Now, take my cock in your mouth and keep it warm until I tell you to suck it. Yes, just like that, my sweet.” He grinned at his ministers, and gestured for them to take their seats. “So, the agenda. Adam, add another item to discuss at the end. My wife needs a title so he can be addressed according to his rank.” He caressed Elik's hair. 

"Your Majesty," Mark said carefully, "with all respect, a Bride is only better than a concubine. She is a wife, but..."

"But has no rank?" he cut him off. "I don't care about that tradition. From now on, you will address my wife as His Imperial Highness," he decided. "If my cousins can use the title, then so can my wife." He noticed that Mark was about to object again, and he slammed his fist on the table. "My wife will be addressed as His Imperial Highness," he repeated, "and he will also have an income according to his rank."

"But..." Mark complained. 

"My other wives all have received estates and palaces and live happily there. Just because my dar... His Imperial Highness will stay with me, does not mean that he is not entitled to the same treatment as my other wives."

Andrej nodded. "This was item three in the agenda, Your Majesty."

Nikolaj grinned. "So, let's start with item one, then, Gentlemen." He was really looking forward to reaching item three and arranging his darling's income. No one had ever accused him of being a bad husband to his wives; he would not start neglecting his duties now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think someone is giving out mixed signals here... or something like that - lol


	3. Growing intimacy

By the time the Council had ended, Nikolaj was feeling hungry, and not just for food. The moment Mark declared the end of the meeting, Nikolaj gestured everyone to leave. “I will see you at lunch, after I have my snack,” he told them cheerfully as he waved them out, waiting for the door to close behind their bowing backs and their hushed laughter. They knew exactly what snack he wanted. “My sweet thing,” he finally smiled down at his wife. 

His darling had been keeping his cock warm for the meeting. He really had a warm, wet mouth and, even though Nikolaj had not ordered him to suck him off, too aware that he had to stay focused on the matters discussed, every now and then, his wife’s tongue would slide temptingly around his cock. Nikolaj had never been at such a long meeting.

Elik looked up at him. His eyes were red-rimmed and his lips were puffy and red. He looked wrecked and sad and beautiful. Nicolaj felt his cock pulse and he caressed his hair. “Get up, darling. I did promise to fuck you before lunch and I have never broken my word.”

With a wet sound, Elik moved back, releasing Nikolaj’s cock. “My Lord,” he whispered, sounding even more hoarse than earlier. 

Nikolaj gave Elik his hand and helped him up. As soon as his wife was standing, he pulled him to his lap and kissed him, sighing even before his tongue had slipped inside Elik’s mouth. His wife had the sweetest taste, rich and fresh at the same time. From the first time he’d kissed Elik, he’d felt how special his wife was. And, just like the first time he’d kissed Elik, his wife accepted him shyly, yet, as Nikolaj plundered his mouth, Elik started responding slowly. His agile and strong tongue began reaching for Nikolaj’s, curious and tentative at first, and growing more enthusiastic as time passed, confirming Nikolaj’s first thought when they had kissed: with just a little training, his darling would become a most passionate and responsive lover. 

His cock agreed; as his wife kissed him back, Nikolaj felt it growing stiffer. At the same time, his stomach let out an undignified rumble. Reluctantly, and laughing, Nikolaj parted from him wife. Elik chuckled for a moment, before lowering his eyes and looking the perfect image of calmness. 

He rubbed his cock on his wife’s thigh. “Let’s fuck so we can have lunch, darling,” he said. “Up.”

Elik stood up and walked away from him stiffly. 

“No, no, darling. We won’t go back to the bedroom.” He wouldn’t make it that far. “Lie on the table, my sweet. I want you to look at me as I will take you.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

He took out the glass bottle and opened it as Elik climbed on the table and spread himself upon it. The dark wood made him look even paler, and with his hair fanned around his face, Elik looked like a creature from one of the fairytales his nanny used to tell him. A wild and innocent woodland creature that had crept into a palace out of curiosity, and when tired, he looked for a place to rest, without knowing the difference between a bed and a table. 

He studied Elik as he stood in front of him. Truly, his wife was most pleasing to his eyes. He even had a lovely cock, and two beautiful balls hanging low beneath it. He was almost as big as Pavel but, unlike him, his genitals looked … beautiful. Nikolaj did not even know why this was the only word that came to mind when he looked at them, but that was the truth.  
With a smile, Nikolaj bent down and took the tip in his mouth. 

“Your Majesty,” Elik gasped, scandalized. 

Nikolaj winked at his wife. He licked his cock hungrily for a few moments, before letting it go with a slurping sound. “Do you deny me my rights to your body?” he asked in fake anger. 

“No, Your Majesty,” Elik replied immediately, shaking his head. “But is that fitting? Your Majesty is…”

Nikolaj cut him off by placing a finger on Elik’s mouth. “Everything I want is fitting, my darling.” He frowned. “Or did you not like it?”

“It was very pleasurable, Your Majesty,” Elik whispered, as if scared that Nikolaj would change his mind.

“Then, don’t interrupt me again,” he admonished him, before taking Elik’s cock in his mouth again. Since his wife had enjoyed being licked, he continued with that. 

Soon, Elik’s dick started growing in his mouth, pulsing fiercely. Nikolaj looked up, seeing Elik biting his hand so as not to scream. Of course; Nikolaj had ordered him not to interrupt. His darling did not know he was allowed to be appreciative, though, so he tried to stay quiet. What a sweet, obedient thing they had sent him. Yes, the Quhjani had to be rewarded. And so did his wife. 

Nikolaj continued his ministrations, changing between licks and sucking Elik’s cock deeply, enjoying how his wife’s whole body started to quiver. He reached for Elik’s balls and teased them with his hand, feeling how hard they were under their soft cover. He caressed them, and Elik tensed. 

“Your Majesty,” he cried unhappily. 

Nikolaj closed his mouth even more tightly around Elik’s cock, hoping to communicate to his wife that he expected him to come inside him. A moment later, Elik did not disappoint him. His cock pulsed and throbbed, and immediately after, Nikolaj’s mouth was flooded by thick, warm come, that tasted salty, but not unpleasant. Keeping the sticky liquid in his mouth, he pulled out and reached for his wife. 

Elik’s lips parted for him, and Nikolaj shared the substance with his wife, kissing him deeply as he did. “Call me ‘Lord’, I told you,” he smiled as he let go. 

Elik nodded. His chest was heaving still, and he was still shaking after his orgasm. “My Lord,” he managed. 

Nikolaj’s smile grew wider as he spread his wife’s thighs further. He poured oil onto his member and, after oiling himself, he thrust his fingers into Elik. His wife was still loose, his hole opening easily for him, and Elik making only the smallest of whimpers as he was being penetrated. His training had worked, he grinned. 

“Look at me, my sweet, as I fuck you,” he said. He kissed Elik’s ankle, lifted his leg, and placed it on his shoulder. Elik raised his other leg without waiting to be told, and, with a chuckle, Nikolaj placed it on his other shoulder. “My sweet thing,” he praised him as he pressed forward and his cockhead touched his wife’s hole. 

Elik tensed. 

“Relax, my sweet,” he said, caressing Elik’s cock. 

“I’m trying, My Lord,” Elik panted, still looking scared, and with his whole body frozen. “My Lord? Can you wait a moment?”

With a frown, Nikolaj stopped. 

Elik took a deep breath, and then a second one. He muttered something, and then took another deep breath. “You are frighteningly big, My Lord,” Elik told him with a little smile, “but I will never deny you again.” 

Nikolaj smiled again. 

“But, My Lord?” Elik said as Nikolaj started pushing his dick inside him, feeling the heat from his wife’s channel burning him as he moved.

“Yes, my darling?”

“Please, don’t share me again.” Elik stared at him. “I came here to be your obedient wife, and a wife must be faithful to her husband. Don’t make me break my vow to you, My Lord. Please?”

“That’s all you want? To be my obedient wife?” Nikolaj laughed, hiding how pleased he was, and thrusting all the way inside Elik in his joy. 

Elik winced, and bit his lips as he tried to bite back his moan of pain. “Yes,” he gasped a moment later. 

At the reply, his dick stiffened so much, Nikolaj thought it would burst. Nikolaj pulled back and slammed into his wife again. “Really?”

“Yes, My Lord,” Elik cried. 

“They chose you well,” Nikolaj muttered as he thrust once more as deeply as he could. 

Elik tightened his muscles around Nikolaj’s dick. “I volunteered, My Lord,” Elik said just as quietly, correcting him gently. 

At the confession, Nikojaj’s whole body stiffened. He tensed and froze and then he gave in to the desire that had been building inside him all morning. He threw his neck back, groaning deeply, and for a moment there was nothing in the world but the pulsing throbbing between his legs and the tight heat of his wife. 

Elik whimpered as quietly as he could, bringing him slowly back to the world. 

Gently, he lowered Elik’s legs from his shoulders, but refused parting from him. “Darling?” he asked softly, looking at Elik watching him. 

“My Lord?” Elik asked him in the same tone. 

He frowned. He didn’t know what he wanted to ask, but he knew what he had to say. “I will not share you again, my sweet thing.”

Elik smiled at him. “Thank you, My Lord,” he whispered. 

Nikolaj leaned down and kissed Elik. This time, his sweet thing responded immediately, welcoming him with eagerness. This kiss was even better than the ones they had shared before, making him certain that the more they kissed, the sweeter their kisses would become. 

Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, and even more reluctantly he parted from Elik. As Elik climbed down from the table, wincing and shifting uncomfortably, Nikolaj felt pride. His sweet wife had been thoroughly broken. Still, he’d tie him to their bed that night just to see how that felt. 

A second later he realized that his wife was also naked. He could call a servant to bring Elik something to wear but all that exertion had made him feel like he was starving. Quickly, he unbuttoned his coat. “Here,” he said, offering it to Elik. 

Elik took it with a grateful nod and a tiny smile. It was big on him, since Nikolaj was a whole head taller than Elik, and broader too, and it made Elik look even more slender than he was. The sight, however, made him feel something strange he hadn’t felt for any of his other lovers. Even if Elik denied him, he wouldn’t send him to the guards. Well, not to the whole regiment, anyway. 

“You should have your own apartments in the palace,” he told Elik as he gave him his arm and guided him out of the room. “But I don’t want that.”

“I am happy to be wherever My Lord wants me to be,” Elik said. 

He grinned. “Mark will be so annoyed. I keep breaking traditions,” he laughed. 

Elik chuckled. 

“Tell me, my sweet thing. What else would make you happy?”

“Being allowed to ride. May I?”

He nodded, smiling. “Next you’ll tell me that you’d like to practice sword fighting or archery.”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Elik replied cheekily. Even his eyes were grinning. 

“As you wish,” he said immediately. 

Elik stopped for a few moments and then stumble as he tried to keep up with Nikolaj. “Really?”

“Yes, my darling.” What was he? Some kind of monster who kept his wives prisoners in the tower? “Were these your pastimes in Quhjan or did you serve in the army?” he finally asked one of the questions that had been flitting in and out of his mind ever since he’d seen Elik for the first time. 

“I was in the army.” Elik reached for the first of the buttons, and then, blushing furiously, lowered his hand. “I got injured here,” he said, pointing at his upper arm. “At the Battle of Kiskun.”

Nikolaj grinned. At the wedding feast, Mark had bet that his wife had been a farmer back in Quhjan; Nikolaj had bet that his wife had been a warrior. He couldn’t wait to tell Mark he had lost. 

“There was nothing funny about that battle,” Elik said with obvious disapproval. “My Lord.”

“No, no, I wasn’t amused by that, sweet thing.” He studied Elik, wondering if he had seen him there. “I fought at that battle. I remember it well, and I agree, there was nothing funny about it. You fought well,” he conceded. 

“We still lost,” Elik said quietly, looking down. 

“And now you are part of the greatest Empire on earth. You should be happy. Our successes will be Quhjan’s successes too, from now on.”

Elik nodded. “Yes, My Lord.”

Nikolaj hugged Elik. “I mean it, my sweet. Our countries are one now.”

Elik nodded again. 

“You will get used to it,” Nikolaj whispered to him. He noticed the guards opening the doors to the Dining Hall for them. “I wonder what’s for lunch. I hope something that will build up our strength.” He kissed Elik’s cheek. “I can’t wait to fuck you again later. You look so good hanging on my dick.”

Elik blushed. 

His sweet thing. He spotted Mark and raised his hand. “Pay up,” he shouted. “You lost our bet.”

Even from the end of the Hall he could hear Mark groan, and he grinned. This was such a good day for him.


	4. Coming to terms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad habits die hard: mixing character POVs and adding chapters set before the last published chapter.... oh, well.... But Elik insisted he is heard....

Elik held himself still as he felt His Majesty wake up. No, no, His Lord, he should always call him that, so he would not forget and slip up. 

His Lord leaned over him and kissed him on the temple. “Good morning, sweet thing.”

“Good morning, My Lord.”

His Lord hugged him for a moment. His arm felt heavy over Elik’s waist, and his hand so huge and warm. Elik had been considered a tall man back home, but His Lord was a giant compared to him. A giant everywhere, Elik thought with dread, as His Lord’s cock pressed against his ass. That too was huge and warm, and Elik felt it throb against him. 

He swallowed hard. He did believe that His Lord would not share him again, but His Lord had also threatened to offer him to the guards like a piece of meat if he refused him again, so he had to bear it. He was certain that had been no idle threat. His Lord did not like to be denied. 

His Lord’s hand caressed his stomach, and then made its way slowly down Elik’s body. For such a big man, His Lord had very clever fingers. The way they teased his flesh made Elik respond despite himself. He felt himself press back against His Lord, and his cock harden under His Lord’s caresses. 

With a chuckle, His Lord started caressing him faster and faster, drawing pleasure out of Elik’s body as an archer drew the string of a bow, pulling it more and more tightly until it had to be released, or the string would break. With a gasp, Elik came, and how sweet was the feeling of relaxing after being strung so tightly? Elik sighed with contentment. 

Elik still felt relaxed even when His Lord pushed him flat on the bed and spread his legs with one powerful thigh. He had promised he would bear this, he reminded himself as he felt His Lord’s fingers pressing wet and thick inside him. His Lord’s fingers left him with a throbbing ache, but just the thought of how worse it could be if His Lord took him without any preparation made him shudder. 

“You feel so good around me, my sweet,” His Lord whispered as he pressed his thick member inside him. 

Elik bit down on his pillow to stop himself from screaming loudly. Even after having been ‘trained’ the day before, His Lord’s member felt huge inside him and it hurt. It hurt so much, like it was tearing him apart. Even being wounded at battle had not hurt as much. No, back then, he’d hardly felt a thing. Only when the battle was over did he feel the throbbing of his flesh and felt how slick and sticky his arm was with his blood. But with His Lord’s member the pain was different; it was searing and tearing at the same time, and yet, there hadn’t been any blood to mark His Lord’s claiming of his body, not even after their first coupling. What strangeness this was? 

His Lord panted over him. “You feel so good,” he repeated. He pulled back agonizingly fast, and then stabbed him repeatedly with his member. 

It hurt so much; it was bringing tears to his eyes. Biting back another scream, Elik let them fall. His Lord would continue taking him whether he cried or not, so why deny himself?

His Lord pressed himself down on Elik and kissed his neck. His member pulsed furiously inside him, burning him. “It’s alright,” His Lord whispered in his ear, caressing his hair. “You can cry loudly if you want.”

Elik shuddered. He didn’t really like crying. 

His Lord pulled out of him moments later. That too hurt, and Elik let out a moan. 

“Nothing is torn,” His Lord reassured him, patting him on the back. 

It didn’t feel like that to Elik. He lay on his back, trying to calm himself. His shivering wouldn’t stop, so he pulled the covers and arranged them over him as much as he could. At the same time, His Lord opened the bedroom door and a servant walked in bringing a wash basin on a tray, followed by a servant with a jug, and a third with towels. “I have a meeting with the members of the Treasury Cabinet,” he said as he washed himself, “but we will have lunch together.”

“Thank you, My Lord.”

His Lord turned and smiled at him, looking pleased. “While I am away, you may do as you please, Your Imperial Highness,” he winked as he sat on a chair and a servant placed a towel on his face. 

“Thank you, My Lord.”

Two more servants came in and started putting his socks on, while another servant started shaving him. “What are you doing there? Tend to His Imperial Highness.”

Elik felt his eyes widen. “Your Majesty?” he gasped as the servant came close to him and tried to pull the bedcovers. Elik held on to them. 

“My sweet,” His Lord laughed, “You can’t dress yourself like a commoner. Not anymore.”

“I could yesterday,” he protested. 

“Yesterday you were not an Imperial Highness,” he said in a reasonable tone that would accept no further discussion. Shaving done, His Lord stood up and the servants continued dressing him. 

“Yes, My Lord,” he sighed, allowing the servant to pull the covers, and stayed quiet as the other servants approached. As the servant with the towels started washing his intimate place, cleaning him of His Lord’s essence, he couldn’t help it; he felt his face burn. 

His Lord smiled at him. “You will get used to it, my sweet,” he said. 

Ah, so many things to get used to, he thought as the servant cleaned him gently. 

“Actually,” His Lord said, “There is one thing you must do, before you do whatever you want.”

“Yes, My Lord?”

“My tailor will come see you this morning.” His Lord grinned widely. “I want you to surprise me, sweet. Choose whatever you want.” He looked threatening for a moment. “If you dare worry about expenses, I will be very cross with you.”

“Thank you, My Lord.”

“You may wear my clothes while yours are being made,” His Lord said, with a strange glint in his eyes. He pulled his coat on himself, pushed the two servants who had dressed him away and sat on the bed. “Have a lovely morning, my sweet,” he smiled, kissing Elik on the temple. 

This was so much like what his father would do. “You too, My Lord.” Elik sat up gingerly and brushed his lips against His Lord’s, the way his mother would kiss his father back. 

With a soft sigh, His Lord stood up. “I must attend this meeting, darling. Till lunch time.”

“Till lunch time, My Lord.” How strangely domestic this was. How strangely public this was too, he thought as the servant that had shaved His Lord attended to him with the same meticulous care, and then, the two servants that had dressed His Lord brought a fine, silk robe and helped him wear it. 

The door opened again, and a small, well-dressed man with a round face and two small, black eyes that shone behind glasses came into the room. Behind him followed a tall, stout man with no hair at all, and behind them a small army of people in uniforms, carrying trays and books. “Your Imperial Highness,” he said, bowing deeply. 

“Yes. You must be His Majesty’s tailor?”

“Jacques Fourniet, at your service, Sir,” he bowed again. "And this," he pointed to the man behind him, "is Dmitri Martief, His Majesty's shoemaker."

Elik sat on the bed, gesturing for chairs to be brought to Mr Fournier and Mr Martief. 

Mr Fournier shook his head. “No, this will not do,” he said authoritatively. “Sir, I must see you, and measure you. Please, disrobe.”

With a sigh, he did. He stood up and stayed still as Mr Fournier circled him once. “Tomas,” he cried sharply, and the first of the uniformed men approached. “Measuring tape.” Tomas handed him a thin strip of paper and for the next half hour, Mr Fournier measured and marked each part of his body, from his arms all the way to his ankles. He even measured his private parts, and not even his lack of height deterred him from measuring Elik’s chest and neck. No, he simply stood up on the chair and measured him from there. When he was done, Mr Martief took over, measuring his feet and legs with even greater attention to detail. 

When this was over, the two servants dressed Elik in His Lord’s clothes, a plain, linen shirt and a pair of black breeches that had to be belted tightly, and only then did they leave. 

“So,” Elik started, gesturing for the two men to finally sit, “His Majesty…” 

He was interrupted by two new servants, who came in carrying a massive tray. They couldn’t have been older than his sister, and the tray looked so much bigger because of that. Were they apprentices? As for the food…. Elik could smell the black tea scented with orange, and he could see small buns, cold meats, slices of cheese, fresh fruit. What an abundance of things. Who needed all that for breakfast? 

“Please, bring some tea for Mr Fournier and Mr Martief too, and their assistants,” he instructed the servants after they put the tray down. “Thank you.”

“So, Mr Fournier,” he said as he waited for more tea to be brought, “His Majesty said I am to have new clothes but,” he smiled, “I have few and simple needs, so I fear His Majesty will be disappointed in me, if I choose what I would wear back home. I rely on your instruction.” He smiled at Mr Martief. "Please, instruct me too, Mr Martief."

Mr Fournier beamed. “Sir, it will be my pleasure.”

Mr Martief just nodded.

As tea was brought in, and the assistants devoured the breakfast spread in front of them, Elik grew dizzy of the choices spread before him. He was made to look at each book, and listen as Mr Fournier showed him sample after sample of fabrics in all imaginable colours pasted on the pages, and explained to him that, as an Imperial prince he had to dress according to his rank and have clothes for each and every festive occasion of the year, as well as ordinary clothes. When he was done, Elik was subjected to the same torment, only this time the samples were mostly of leather, and it was Mr Martief explaining what needed to be worn.

By the time Mr Fournier, Mr Martief and their army had left, Elik wanted nothing but to go to bed and sleep and dream of simpler times. Instead, he had to go to lunch, and hope that His Lord would not claim him in front of everyone. 

&*&*

“I could get used to this,” His Lord chuckled as he kissed Elik after claiming him in the morning. 

Elik nodded, but didn’t speak. He wasn’t sure he could get used to His Lord’s member spearing him every morning and every evening, but he would endure it. He stayed put as servants came in and washed them, and winced as he stood up so he could get dressed at the same time as His Lord. 

“Till lunch time, my sweet,” His Lord said before kissing him again. 

“Till lunch time, My Lord.” Elik waited for a few moments and, sure enough, his breakfast was brought in, just as massive and extravagant as the day before, on a tray that was too big for the two children, a blond, freckled kid and a dark-haired one. “I would like to speak to the Head Cook,” he told one of the servants carrying it. “And His Majesty’s Physician. Though not at the same time.”

The black-haired boy frowned. “I am not Your Higness’ secretary.”

Elik frowned. “But I have no secretary.”

“Then you should have one.”

Hm, another thing to get used to? “Well, would you like to be my secretary?” he asked the dark-haired one. 

The servants stared at each other shocked. Then he turned towards Elik. “I can’t read nor write, Sir.”

“How odd,” he frowned again. “There is enough money here to waste all this food on one person, and not enough for teaching two children how to read?” He took the teapot and the cup, and put some cheese and fruit on a place. “Take it back, and instruct the Head Cook, or whoever prepares this, that this,” he pointed at the plate with the food, “is enough for me.”

“Sir, we can’t take it back. We will be beaten for not having served you.”

Elik studied them. “What if you took it with you, then, and shared it with the other apprentices?”

“Apprentices?”

Elik nodded. “Aren’t you getting trained in how to serve?”

The two stared at each other again. The blond nudged the dark-haired boy. “We are Palace slaves, Sir. We have been serving for a long time now,” he said, looking at Elik with pity. “Doesn’t know anything,” he muttered, nudging his companion back.

Elik signed. He knew nothing. But he knew how to find things. “Then, take it and share it with your friends,” he smiled. 

The two children grinned as they took the tray and almost ran out of the room. 

This palace was run most inefficiently, Elik thought as he ate his food. But the children had been right; he thought he knew a lot of things about His Lord’s country, but clearly, he didn’t know anything. 

Mind made up, he stood up. First, he’d find His Lord’s Physician, and then the library. He walked out of the suite of rooms, and the guards stood on attention for him. “Where will I find His Majesty’s Physician?” he asked them. 

The guard to his left paled. “Your Imperial Highness is unwell?” He glanced at the other guard. “We must alert His Majesty at once.”

“I am fine. I just need to ask him a few things.”

With a sigh of relief, the guard at the left ran towards the next room, and came back a minute later. “The Physician has been notified, Sir. He will be here soon.” 

“Thank you.” Elik went back to the first of the audience rooms. Everything was so opulent in there; why did a person need two rooms before his bedroom? And all that gold everywhere. 

He didn’t have to wait long. A little later, the guards opened the door to let a harried-looking man with black hair and glasses come in. “Your Imperial Highness. I am Mark Gotthardt, His Imperial Majesty’s Chief Physician. You asked for me?” he bowed.

Elik waited until the doors were closed behind him. “Yes. Please, have a seat.” He also sat down, and smiled, trying to put the man at ease. 

The physician took a few deep breaths and pushed his glasses back. “How may I assist you, Sir?”

Elik felt himself redden, and his resolve leave him for a second. Taking a deep breath himself, he stared at the man. “Tradition commands that male Imperial Brides are castrated. Tell me, how do you perform that procedure?”

Mr Gotthardt paled. “Sir.”

“I want, no, I need to know,” Elik insisted. 

The man took another deep breath. “The subject is tied down to a bed, and bandaged. Then, the genitals are washed with wine and, using a special knife, they are cut.”

Elik felt his mouth dry. “Everything?”

“Everything,” the physician confirmed. “A needle is then placed in the opening of the urethra and…”

“The what?”

“Men urinate through the penis, so when that is cut, the hole through which urine flows must remain open. By placing a needle there, the flesh does not close while the wound heals in the following days.” Mr Gotthardt gave him a sympathetic smile. “It is a painful procedure, but with the proper care of the wound, very few men die of it.”

Small comfort. “Thank you, Mr Gotthardt,” Elik said, not liking how his voice came out weak. “That was very illuminating.”

Mr Gotthardt gave him another sad smile. “I’m glad to have been of service, Sir,” he said. “If I may?”

“Yes, I’m sorry to have detained you from your duties.”

Mr Gotthardt stood up, gave him another bow and left the room. 

Elik sighed deeply, hiding his face behind his hands. Hadn’t he always thought that knowing was better than not knowing? Why was he acting like this now? 

With another deep breath, he stood up. If he was going to lose his genitals because of tradition, he would enjoy them while he had them. He supposed he was lucky that His Lord had started to ensure he got some pleasure out of their couplings, but perhaps there was more pleasure to be had. What if he learned to enjoy how His Lord took him? Wouldn’t that double his own pleasure? 

The trip to the Library seemed even more important at that moment. He didn’t know how much time he had left to enjoy himself, so he should make every minute count. 

&*&*

Elik was certain that people must have thought him mad that he spent so much time in the library after exercising and riding, but he didn’t care. Every day he was learning something new about the vast empire that had claimed him. Its history was fascinating and brutal, its laws strict for the poor and lenient for the rich, its culture diverse. It seemed a beautiful and unforgiving land, and Elik found himself wishing he could travel and see it with his own eyes. 

Yet, the Library, huge though it was, did not hold the secret to how he could enjoy His Lord’s affection, that, even after almost three weeks, seemed unwavering in its intensity. That was so disappointing. His quest may have started from a selfish desire, but as His Lord never forgot to please him, and always treated him well in public and private, Elik had found himself wanting to please him back. 

He often found himself wondering about His Lord’s past lovers; had they been able to take him without pain? And how had they managed that feat? 

Sighing, he closed the volume of Collected and Commented Judgments on Matters of Property, an erudite work written by Leonid Yasipof, perhaps the most eminent judge of his generation and stared out of one the large library windows. It was a nice day. Should he ask His Lord if he wanted to go riding with him later?

Someone coughed softly behind him. “Your Imperial Highness,” 

Elik turned. Lady Ekaterina in her pink silks looked out of place in the somber room. “My Lady,” he bowed his head to her and gestured for her to sit next to him.

She did and craned her head to study the book in front of him. “That is such a boring book,” she declared as she pretended to be unable to push it aside. 

He nodded. “But essential reading if one wants to understand property law in this country. His commentary is extremely useful.”

“And you are trying so hard to understand everything about this country, don’t you, Sir?” 

He nodded.

“Then, you should step out of the library and come to my salon sometimes. Join us for tea this afternoon, Sir.”

“I wouldn’t want to disturb you, My Lady. And, you would find me boring,” he smiled, glancing at the heavy book in front of him. 

“Still,” she smiled back, as she stood up, “For the answers one can’t find in books, one should ask.” She leaned close to him. “My husband has observed that you are still struggling with some aspects of your marriage.”

Elik felt his cheeks and neck burn. His Lord was far too enthusiastic. Elik had promised never to deny him, so he endured it all, but oh, why was His Lord so keen on claiming him in public?

“I also struggled, but, if you come for tea today, I promise I can offer you some advice.”

“Why not now? Why not here?” he cried out.

“In the library?” She giggled. “No, we will shock the books, and who would want that?” 

Elik chuckled. “I hardly think the books will be offended, My Lady.”

“Besides, I have a young cousin with a similar problem. This will spare me the effort to repeat myself twice. Please, Sir, join us this afternoon.”

Elik nodded. “As you wish, Madame.”

“Good.” She gave him a brilliant smile. “At four, in my rooms. Ask anyone, and they will guide you. À tout à l'heure.”

“Oui, Madame, à tout à l'heure.”

She smiled again, and fled in a cloud of pink. 

Elik pressed his hands on his cheeks as if that could stop them from burning. He hoped she had the answer to his problem.


	5. Trying new things

Nikolaj grinned at the guards. “If you hear cries, don’t be alarmed,” he winked. 

One of them bit his lips. The other stayed perfectly composed. Nikolaj glared at him. “You did not think I was funny?”

“No, Your Majesty. I mean, Yes, Your Majesty.” The poor man flushed. “I’m not sure, Your Majesty. I mean…” his voice trailed off as he opened the door to Nikolaj’s bedchamber. 

“Yes?”

“It is not proper to commend on Your Majesty’s performance.”

“What? It is proper, if your comments are positive.” He stepped into his rooms, shaking his head when the doors closed behind him. “Elik, have you been trying to make my men behave properly?” he shouted as he made his way to the bedroom, past the two small audience rooms. 

“My Lord?” Elik shouted from there. He heard a noise, as if something fell.

“At ease, sweet thing,” he laughed. “No need to welcome me to my bedroom.” He hurried, curious to see what had happened. 

Elik was waiting for him in his room with his hands crossed in front of him demurely, wearing a sheer, dark blue robe he hadn’t seen before. He was standing next to the dresser, and from what Nikolaj could see, the various brushes were placed haphazardly on its surface. One of them must have fallen off, then, causing that sound. “My Lord,” Elik said, bowing deeply to him. 

“My darling,” he smiled. “Is that part of your new wardrobe?”

Elik nodded with a tiny smile. “It is so light,” he marveled, touching the fabric delicately. “Thank you, My Lord.”

He shook his head, grinning. “It was time you got your wardrobe. As much as I loved seeing you in my clothes, this is not proper for Your Imperial Highness.” It was his duty as conquering Emperor and future Husband to provide everything that his Bride would need, but for some reason, some idiot among his staff had neglected their job. It as good to see that mistake finally rectified, although, he hadn’t lied; seeing Elik in his clothes made him feel something strange. 

“Ah. I will keep that in mind,” Elik mused. “My Lord.”

He approached and kissed Elik on the cheek. “Did you have a good day, my sweet?”

Elik nodded as he pushed him towards the bed. Nikolaj sat down, cock hardening as Elik knelt and started removing his boots. His darling had some weird ideas about what a wife was supposed to do, but Nikolaj had discovered that he didn’t mind them so much. If his darling wanted to play servant, he would let him. “Well?” he asked again when he realized that Elik would not answer. 

“I went horseback riding, My Lord, and then had tea with some of the court ladies.”

He smiled. “Did you enjoy that, my sweet?”

“More than I expected, My Lord. They are very well-read, so we talked of books.” Elik blushed. “And the Chancellor’s wife, she was most kind.”

“Oh?”

Boots removed, Elik stood up. “She gave me some advice,” he whispered into Nikolaj’s ear. “About how to…” he looked down for a moment. 

Nikolaj grinned. “Did she, now?” Had Mark put her up to that, he wondered.

Elik nodded. 

“Will you tell me what advice she gave you, or will you demonstrate?” He asked, arousal making him almost dizzy for a moment. 

“I would rather demonstrate, My Lord.” Elik gave him a cheeky smile. “One must try it first to see if it was good advice, don’t you agree, My Lord?” 

Nikolaj started untying his breeches hastily, grinning at his wife. “You really are a determined, sweet thing,” he said. 

Elik straightened his shoulders and stood in attention before him. “I am from Quhjan, My Lord. When we find an obstacle, we overcome it. And we are not afraid of anything.” He chuckled, and relaxed his shoulders. “Although, your weapon is so mighty, My Lord, that it did scare me.” His expression turned serious. “It still frightens me,” he said softly, “but I will overcome that obstacle too.”

Nikolaj felt his smile fall, but his mind finally caught up with what his heart had been telling him from the start. “You were never afraid of me,” he said, letting his amazement show. No wonder he had liked Elik from the start. His heart knew that his previous Brides had been scared of him, as if he were a monster. But when he saw Elik, his heart felt joy at being treated like a man seeking love in an arranged relationship that had been forced on him. Only it took his mind a few weeks to catch up with his heart.

“Why would I be?” Elik frowned. “What worse thing could you do to me after conquering our land and taking us captive? From the moment you won at Kiskun, every Quhjani life was at your mercy. Of what should I be scared?” Elik smiled a little. “And then,” he touched Nikolaj’s cock gently, “that aside, you treated me well. You kept me by your side, instead of casting me aside like you had done to all your other wives. You didn’t make me feel like a slave or a hostage and…”

Nikolaj cut him off with a kiss. Like him, Elik had tried to make the most out of a bad situation, and deal with what had been forced on him. Had he realized that too, when he had first seen Elik, how they were both resigned to their fates, yet they both wanted the same thing? He smiled at Elik when he broke the kiss. “I’m glad you’re not afraid of anything.”

Elik smiled back. “I’m still afraid of one thing,” he said, caressing Nikolaj’s cock. “But maybe…” He reached for the glass of oil that Nikolaj always carried in his coat pocket and swiftly took the lid off. “Maybe this will help? If you allow it?” he asked as he started pouring oil over him, and spreading it with his clever fingers. 

“What do you want me to do, my sweet?”

Elik lifted his robe and straddled him. “Lady Ekaterina said that being on top helped. Would you allow that, My Lord?”

He started laughing. “My darling, there is no rank in sex. There is he who fucks, and he who is fucked, but how that happens has nothing to do with hierarchy, but everything to do with pleasure.” He suddenly stopped. “I…” he frowned, suddenly realizing another thing. “My lovers never seemed to find pleasure when I took them, so I stopped caring about them. But, if this will make our coupling more pleasurable for you, then I will be happy to only fuck you like that from now on. Although…”

“Yes, My Lord?”

He sighed. “I so like to fuck you on your back, see your expression when I take you and, even more, see your expression when I make you come. And I love fucking you on your knees, because then I can take you so deeply, it feels like I will drown in you.”

Elik reddened. “You like our couplings so much?”

He started laughing again. “You couldn’t tell?”

“I thought it was because it was your duty to claim Quhjan through my body that you liked them so much.”

Nikolaj had to kiss Elik again. His sweet darling; he was such an innocent in the ways of lovers and so clever in the ways of politics. Maybe he should start taking him to the Council meetings every now and then. Having tea with the court ladies and discussing books could only be entertaining for that long. “No, it’s because I like them,” he reassured Elik, just in case he hadn’t understood it already. 

“Ah.” He caressed Nikolaj’s cock and took it in his hand. “I will go slowly,” he warned Nikolaj. 

“Alright,” he said, although he liked the feel of sliding into his wife in one thrust. 

Elik proved a consummate tease, though. It felt like the head of his cock kissed the opening of his wife’s body for the longest time. When he finally took him inside him, he did it ever so slowly, sliding down for a few moments, staying there, clenching around him, and then moving up, allowing only the shallowest of thrusts. Not only Elik was a supreme tease, though, he was also a good politician, cutting off any protests Nikolaj might have by means of continuous kisses. By the time Nikolaj was fully inside his wife, he felt dizzy with desire. 

That was not the end of the torment, though. Elik continued to tease him by staying seated on him for long minutes, tensing and relaxing his inner muscles massaging Nikolaj’s cock, until he decided to slide up minutely, and then fall again. Up and down Elik went, temptingly slowly, but Nikolaj was a man of his word. He had promised to let Elik set the rhythm of their coupling, so he kept himself back, and Elik’s kisses felt like his reward for his patience, passionate, vigorous, feeding Nikolaj’s hunger without stopping. They created a direct link from his mouth to his belly to his dick, fueling the fire inside him.

Elik must have felt some of this fire too, for he also started moving faster. Not as fast as Nikolaj would like, but it was faster, and Nikolaj felt the burn inside him get more intense and growing, taking over his whole body. Despite his promises, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He thrust fiercely inside his wife, and came, his groan of pleasure swallowed by Elik’s tongue. 

He broke the kiss and grinned at his wife sheepishly. “Sorry. I really like fucking you.”

Elik laughed. 

“But you didn’t come.” He reached between them and took Elik’s cock in his hand. To imagine that, if he had followed tradition, he’d have had cut this stem that fit so well in his palm. What a stupid tradition, he thought as he caressed Elik faster and faster with his closed fist until his darling tensed everywhere, his inner muscles clamping on Nikolaj’s soft cock, tempting him to rise to hardness. A moment later, Elik relaxed, and let his head drop on Nikolaj’s shoulder. 

“My Lord,” he whispered, kissing his neck. 

Nikolaj caressed his hair. “Was it better for you this way?” he whispered. 

“It still hurt, but it was easier.” Elik sighed. “I fear you will always feel too big inside me, but I will get used to it.”

Nikolaj grinned. “You already are. Remember our first week? You were crying every time I fucked you.”

Elik huffed softly. With a bitten off cry, he slid up and off Nikolaj’s cock. “Yes, that is true.”

Nikolaj smiled at him and slapped his ass. “Why don’t you bring your brush here, darling, so I can brush your hair?”

Walking stiffly, Elik went back to the dresser and picked up one of the brushes before returning to sit at Nikolaj’s feet. Nikolaj would never admit it, but he liked seeing Elik walk after one of their couplings. He felt so proud that he’d fucked his wife so deeply. 

“Not there, darling,” he smiled, patting the bed. “Here.” 

Elik obeyed him, and sat next to him, facing away from him. “You don’t have to do this, My Lord.”

“But I like it,” he said as he started brushing Elik’s hair. The brush went so smoothly that he really didn’t need to do it, but he did like it, that was the truth. “You should wear something blue for dinner. It’s a nice colour on you.”

“Thank you, My Lord.” Elik sighed again.

“What is it?”

“This, all this,” Elik said gesturing around. 

Nikolaj looked. This? This was his room, with the dresser next to the windows, and the chairs next to it, and their bed. What of it?

“I wonder if I will ever get used to this. If one scraped the gold off the furniture of this room alone, one could feed a family of four for a year. Back home, a man thought himself rich if he had a hundred horses, but here, a rich man has thousands and thousands of horses, and My Lord must have millions.”

He chuckled. “I doubt that, but we can ask Dima if you want to know exactly how many horses belong to the Crown.”

Elik laughed. “I don’t want to know. I’m just…” he sighed again. 

“Overwhelmed,” Nikolaj smiled. “Don’t worry, darling, you will get used to this as well.” He pressed his cock against Elik. “Should we bet on what you’ll get used to first? My cock or my wealth?”


	6. Marry me! Or, did I really say that? No, no, I didn't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The exposition fairy makes an appearance!! :)

“I won,” Nikolaj laughed as he patted his horse on the neck, and guiding it to trot. 

A few moments later his darling emulated him. “Indeed, My Lord.”

“You weren’t holding back because I’m me, were you?” he asked, although he knew that Elik would not do that. 

“No, My Lord. But I dare say, your horse is faster. You had an unfair advantage over me.”

Yes, Elik was not one to lie. He grinned as they both let their horses start walking across the meadow. “Of course, it’s faster. I have to have the best. I am the Emperor.” He jumped off and walked beside his horse. 

Elik mimicked him a moment later, wincing a bit. At Nikolaj’s tiny frown, he smiled. “I love riding, but sometimes, it is a bit uncomfortable.”

“Really?”

Elik nodded. “Especially when My Lord has been very enthusiastic in his...” he looked down, a little embarrassed. 

Ah. “In fucking my darling?” he laughed. 

Elik nodded again. 

“I can’t help it. I like fucking you.” He spotted the servants around the picnic area and walked towards them. “I thought we should have lunch outside while the weather is still good.” Nikolaj handed the reins to his horse to one of the guards following them, and Elik did the same. 

The servants had already set the table for them. Nikolaj sat down and watched as Elik sat with another wince. “I was not that energetic.”

“You were, My Lord,” Elik disagreed. “But it doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s just uncomfortable.” He smiled. “Lady Ekaterina assured me that I will get used to it, and with My Lord helping me practice every day, I am certain this will happen sooner rather than later.”

He laughed. “A toast to Lady Ekaterina and her assurances,” he said, and a servant filled their glasses immediately. 

Elik took a tiny sip. Even after being with him for a month, he still wasn’t used to wine. 

“I was wondering,” Nikolaj asked as servants poured rose water for them to wash their hands, “how is the cavalry organized in Quhjan? Here, We provide horses for the members of the Imperial regiments, and all the land-owners provide horses and money for the training of the rest of the cavalry. Any man can join the army, and if he shows an aptitude for riding, he can become a rider. Is it the same in Quhjan?”

“Each man who can afford to have a horse can join the cavalry. Those who are rich, they send more men.”

He smiled. Mark had already explained to him how Quhjani cavalry was organized, and insisted that his wife was a farmer working for a rich man. He’d even bet on that. ‘Your last Bride was the sixth cousin of the fourth cousin of a small baron who was distantly related to the Khan of Caga,’ Mark had reminded him. ‘No way the Quhjani Elders sent you one of their noblemen,’ he’d said, when Nikolaj had bragged about how good his wife was at horseback riding.

Annoying Quhjani people and their pride, he thought. He still remembered how the envoys bringing Elik to him had refused to disclose any information about him. ‘You’re taking him away from his country, you will take away his name, and you will take away his freedom. Does it matter who he was when he lived at Quhjan?’ they had insisted. A month ago, he hadn’t cared, but now he was curiouser and curiouser about his darling. Asking Elik would be quicker than sending his people to Quhjan to investigate. “Judging by your skills, you could afford a horse. Tell me, darling, were you also rich back in Quhjan?” 

“I could afford a horse,” Elik told him with the sweetest smile. “But was I rich? I never knew what wealth meant until I came here. No, I would not say I was rich.”

“Were you rich by Quhjani standards, I meant.”

“Ah. Does it really matter? That life is over,” Elik said and his smile faltered for a second. “I have a life here now.”

Annoying Quhjani person and his pride. “Yes, you do,” he said, reaching for Elik’s thigh and squeezing it. “But I am curious. Without your life there, you would not be the man you are now, the one sharing my bed and my life.” Was he begging his wife? What had he become? He smiled, amused at this new folly of his. “What was your life there like?”

Elik studied him. “Why must there be all these servants? Why can’t we have lunch alone, without someone watching us all the time?”

He laughed loudly. “I haven’t forgotten our bet,” he reminded Elik. It seemed like he would lose it after all. “You will get used to my cock faster than you will get used to the fact that you are married to an emperor, my sweet.”

Elik nodded. “It seems so, My Lord.”

He took a small bread bun and offered it to Elik. “Well?”

Elik dipped it in salt and then tried it, surprising Nikolaj. Did his wife know what he was doing? Did they have the same custom at Quhjan, of making a vow of alliance and friendship by accepting a gift of bread and salt? Or was it just a happy accident? 

“This place reminds me of my home a little,” Elik said. “Open plains that end in dark forests. You probably wouldn’t think us rich, but everyone who was in our lands had food in their tables. We did not fear the harshness of winter, and all the children knew how to read and write.” He smiled. 

Nikolaj felt himself smile back. “And you?”

“What of me? We were rich,” he sighed. “Back home, everything I could see belonged to my family. I was taught to read and write several languages, because my mother wanted to make me a diplomat. My father wanted me to become a general, so he taught me the arts of war.” He shrugged. “And then you came.” Elik looked at him. “A victorious Emperor who has to have the best in all things. When the Council of Elders considered sending my sister to be your Bride, I volunteered. She will become the best of women, My Lord, but she is only twelve now.” He shuddered. 

Nikolaj shuddered as well. “I would never accept a twelve-year-old bride.” He knew some men liked them young, but that was not him. A twelve-year-old was still a child, as far as he was concerned. He wondered what the laws of his empire said about the matter. They probably allowed it, for the Quhjani to consider sending him such a young Bride. Well, if the laws allowed children to be married, then he would change them. 

“And then every Quhjani person would have been sold to slavery, as it happened when Ivan the Third refused to take Lady Alena of Rejik as his Bride. So, I told the Council, that if they agreed that I was the best of our young men, I would go in her place.”

“And they agreed,” he said, trying not to grin. He may have lost his bet against Elik, but he would not lose the second bet with Mark. 

“They agreed,” Elik nodded.

“I also agree. You have great skill in riding and…” He suddenly grinned. “An even greater skill in riding me. I hadn’t realized but when you do that,” he waved his hand, trying to indicate Elik’s gentle motion when he was seated on his dick, “what you really do is riding me.”

“My Lord,” Elik screamed, reddening everywhere and looking shocked. 

“What? I’m not lying, and you shouldn’t be ashamed that you are so good at … riding,” he winked, chuckling. 

Elik’s cheeks remained red as he made a tiny frustrated sound. 

Ah, his darling. He snorted. His darling was so shy sometimes. He was surprised that he’d dared talk to the Elders about… “Wait, how did you make the Elders change their mind? I thought that when the Council of Elders decided something, then it happened.” He grinned. “One of my tutors used to say that Quhjan is ruled by twelve kings instead of one, and their word is law.”

Elik snorted. “The positions of the Elders are hereditary. When my father died, I took his place.” He suddenly looked fierce. He stood up, towering over him for a change. “Did you expect us to send you a Bride that would not make Quhjan proud? Someone that would not represent us? Someone who would not show you that you may have defeated us, but you have not broken us?” 

Nikolaj stared at him. Elik had never seemed to him more beautiful or desirable. His passionate pride was making his eyes burn as blue as like the cold heart of a fire. His chest was heaving the same way it did when Nikolaj fucked him long and hard, with his hands wrapped around Elik’s flushed dick and hard balls. Elik’s hands were shaking with anger, exactly as he quivered after he came and panted trying to calm down.

Elik misunderstood his silence. He suddenly took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, as if he was about to deal with something unpleasant. “I do not regret what I just said, My Lord,” he said calmly, standing in attention. “Do with me as you will for my insolence, but don’t punish my people.”

“Marry me,” Nikolaj whispered. 

“Excuse me?”

“What?” Nikolaj pushed aside the plates in front of him with the back of his left arm. With his right hand he grabbed Elik and threw him on the table, too full of desire to reassure Elik that all was well with words. “My sweet thing,” he said as he leaned down for a kiss, parting Elik’s thighs with his legs. 

Elik responded to him after a moment, his mouth warm and wet and welcoming, his tongue playful and agile. Sometimes Nikolaj thought that he could spend a whole day kissing his darling, but then, his cock insisted he did more than that. 

Hurriedly, he lifted Elik’s coat and started untying his breeches with his right hand, his left too busy playing with Elik’s thick tresses. How he loved the feel of Elik’s hair in his fingers. Almost as much as he loved the feel of Elik’s skin as he lowered his trousers and could feel his little hole clenching around his finger.

His darling finally remembered he had hands. He reached and started untying Nikolaj’s trousers with his right hand, while with his left, he fumbled in Nikolaj’s pocket for the bottle of oil. Moments later, Nikolaj felt a gust of air on his cock, and then Elik’s fingers closed around him, wet and warm. He thrust against them helplessly. 

“My sweet thing,” he gasped, “I can’t wait for you,” he apologized as he lifted Elik’s legs so he could have better access to his hole. He hoped Elik had oiled him enough, he really couldn’t wait. 

Elik took another deep breath and gave him a small nod. As Nikolaj started pushing slowly inside him, Elik bit his lips and frowned in slight pain. Nikolaj also felt himself frown. His darling was so hot and tight. He felt like Elik was squeezing him oh, so tightly, it was the best kind of pain. 

As he made his progress, Elik reached for him and hugged his waist, holding on to him. 

“I’m sorry, sweet thing,” he whispered as he felt himself lose all sense of control and, with one hard thrust buried himself to the hilt inside his darling. 

Elik cried out in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. His hands bit into Nikolaj’s sides. 

Nikolaj leaned down again and kissed Elik’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he kissed Elik’s temple. “You have no idea,” he sighed, kissing his soft, delicate earlobe and making Elik shiver, “how much I want you.”

Elik huffed, surprising him. “I think I do, My Lord,” he cried softly, trying to laugh and failing. 

Nikolaj kissed him again, moving inside Elik minutely, the way Elik had shown him. His darling responded happily to his restrain, trying to squeeze his muscles around him and kissing him back eager and sweet, but Nikolaj knew what would make him even sweeter. 

With his right hand, he reached for Elik’s cock. It was velvety soft in Nikolaj’s hand, but by then, Nikolaj knew exactly how to caress him in order to make him harden, so he did. His beautiful, proud darling loved to be held tightly, and stroked fast, so Nikolaj did just that, relentlessly, until he felt Elik lengthen in his fist. And then he did it even faster. 

“My Lord, please move,” Elik whispered to him. “I want to feel you.”

With a smile, Nikolaj pulled out until half his dick was out, and then snapped his hips forward, fucking deeply into his darling. “I want to feel you too,” he said, trying to stroke Elik as fast as he fucked him. 

Was there a greater pleasure than fucking deeply into his darling as his darling held on to him? Nikolaj didn’t think so, and his sweet probably agreed. With a deep moan, Elik arched against him, grabbing him as he moved, and came, his come falling sticky and warm on Nikolaj’s fingers. His cock felt trapped in a vice that pulse, and Nikolaj followed Elik into that sweetest pleasure, that of his satisfied desire. He closed his eyes, nuzzling Elik. 

Long moments later, and with a heavy sigh, he parted from his darling. Elik whimpered as he moved away from him, and stayed listless on the table, legs spread open, arms on the sides, and staring at the blue sky above them. Nikolaj leaned down, so he could look better at Elik’s ass. “Your hole is winking at me,” he sing-songed.

“Good, because the rest of me can’t move,” Elik whispered. “My Lord.”

Nikolaj chuckled. He sat on the table and gently moved Elik so his head was resting on his lap. For a moment he was tempted to wipe his cock with Elik’s lovely hair, but then decided against it. What if his darling didn’t like it? He picked up a red berry from a plate that hadn’t been upturned and offered it to Elik. “I hope some part of you can move,” he smiled as he caressed Elik’s lips with the juicy morsel.

Elik bit into it, cutting it in half with his perfect, white teeth and letting the juice stain his chin. “Seems like it,” he smiled after swallowing it. He licked Nikolaj’s fingers, delicately cleaning them of his come. “These go strangely well together,” he grinned. 

His dick made another effort to rise. Nikolaj ignored it. He was certain that by the time they finished their picnic, his cock would be ready for another round. And so would his darling.


	7. We can't let laws stand in the way of lust, can we?

Nikolaj couldn’t wait to surprise his darling. The moment he was dressed, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him to him for a kiss. “I want to give you something,” he said when he was done. He took out a velvet band. “But I want to surprise you. I want to tie your eyes. May I?”

His darling lowered his head. “My Lord can do as he pleases with me.”

“I can, but I prefer it when you agree to it.”

Elik blushed, making Nikolaj grin. “I agree to it,” he whispered. He closed his eyes and let Nikolaj tie the strip of cloth around his head. Nikolaj kissed him on the temple, and guided him out of the bedroom by the wrist, bidding everyone to be silent. 

He led Elik out in the and then walked with him across the corridor, until they were at the other end of the palace. He grinned at the guards who opened the doors for them. “We are here,” he said as they stepped into the room. 

Elik waited until Nikolaj had removed the blindfold. “Where is ‘here’?” he asked, trying hard not to look around. 

“Here are your rooms, my sweet.”

Elik paled. “Are you tired of me, My Lord?”

Elik’s reaction made him feel warm inside. “No, my sweet. I still want to sleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning. But…” he guided Elik to an ornate chair with arms and made him sit down, “You are an Imperial prince. You have to have your own apartments and members of staff.” He clapped his hands and the doors opened. 

“This is Count Rasoulin. He will be your secretary,” he said as a tall, thin man in his forties walked into the room. 

Elik nodded. 

“Whenever you need to communicate something to someone, he will arrange it. This is Count Yalenkov. He will act as your Treasurer, and administer your Estate. And Count Nikits will be in charge of your household. Your servants, pages, dressers, and so on.”

Elik frowned. “But…”

Nikolaj cut him off by placing his finger on Elik’s mouth. “Darling, you can’t ask the guards about directions whenever you want to go somewhere. You will ask one of your pages. And if you want to write home, you will dictate your letters to Count Rasoulin and he will send them off.”

That made Elik’s eyes widen. “I can write home?”

“Darling, you can write to whomever you want.” He kissed Elik on the cheek. “You will still sleep with me, but during the day, these will be your rooms.”

“Oh.”

Nikolaj smiled at Elik’s expression. He pulled him up and hugged him. “I prefer being undressed by you,” he leaned down and whispered in his ear. “I also love fucking you.”

Elik reddened. “I know, but must you say it so openly?”

He laughed loudly. “You mind when I say it but not when I do it?” he asked, grabbing Elik’s wrist and guiding him to the bedroom. When the guards started closing the doors behind him, Nikolaj shook his head. “I’ve never conquered a fairer land than Quhjan,” he shouted as he threw Elik on the bed. 

Elik spread his legs as he started lowering his trousers. “Quhjan is yours, My Lord.”

The words and his darling’s submission made his cock harden in an instant. He undid his breeches and knelt between his darling’s legs. He helped free Elik from his clothes and lowered himself over the second sweetest spot on his darling’s body. Or maybe the third. It was always so difficult to rank what was second best; his wife’s sweet mouth, or his sweet cock? At least he knew what was the best, he grinned as he started stroking the length of Elik’s cock at the same time as he started sucking the tip. 

As soon as Elik’s cock hardened fully, Nikolaj raised his legs up and brought them up so that Elik’s calves were resting on his shoulders. That way he could thrust deeply into his sweet thing, and he could see his expression, but more importantly, he could continue playing with his jewels and tease him as he took him. What joy it was to slide into his darling, and feel him clench around him, as his darling’s life pulsed in his hand. What joy. 

“Darling,” he whispered.

“My Lord,” Elik answered him, looking into his eyes and reaching for his hands. 

Nikolaj took them into his and entwined their fingers. He felt Elik push back. “You are finally used to me,” he smiled. 

“Yes, My Lord.” Elik’s smile was brilliant. “It doesn’t hurt and… My Lord?”

“Yes?”

Elik wiggled and raised himself a little, gasping. “There’s something inside me, My Lord, that feels so good when you are inside me. There,” he moaned, reaching for Nikolaj with his body. “There.”

Nikolaj grinned. “There?” he asked, thrusting.

“Yes, there. Please, My Lord.”

“What, my sweet?”

“I want more. Please?”

How could he refuse such a desperate plea? Nikolaj thrust shallowly back and forth, since his darling liked that, and each time he moved, Elik responded, rising up to meet each of his thrusts, moaning with pleasure. “Like this?”

Elik nodded. “Oh, this feels so good, My Lord,” he gasped, body moving in tandem to Nikolaj’s. 

Nikolaj squeezed Elik’s fingers for a moment and then let his left hand go so he could resume stroking his cock. At the first touch, Elik shuddered. As he continued caressing Elik, and thrusting faster and faster inside him, Elik moaned brokenly, whispering how good it felt. How could he hold back when his darling was so tight and warm around him, and looked at him with lust-dazed eyes, and reached up to meet him thrust after thrust? It felt so unimaginably good, that he could not hold back. 

With a deep moan, he let himself go, spilling his seed inside his darling and feeling his darling’s come drench his hand. “Oh, Elik,” he whispered, panting. 

“My Lord,” Elik managed weakly. 

Nikolaj lowered his legs and lay beside him before pulling him close. Elik nestled against him. He glanced towards the door. “I don’t know why My Lord made me have so many clothes,” he chuckled. “I’m always half-naked.”

“Because it’s fun to strip them off you, darling,” Nikolaj grinned. 

Elik laughed. He started playing with Nikolaj’s hair. “What meeting will you attend this morning, My Lord?”

“With my Chancellor. And you? What will you do?”

“I will write to my sister, if My Lord permits.”

“Of course, I do.” 

Elik smiled at him happily. Nikolaj had to kiss him. Then he leaned away, lay on his back. and motioned for the servants to come in and wash them.

Elik groaned. “This is so intimate, My Lord. Can’t…”

Nikolaj shook his head. “I have already conceded to your desire to undress me in the evenings and wash me then. We must retain some of Our Imperial Dignity, my sweet, and let servants take care of us.”

Elik shuddered as the servant used a wet towel to clean his lower body. “Why can’t we have a bath instead?”

“Because this is quicker.”

“But you have such a nice bathhouse here. I know because they washed me there before you claimed me for the first time, My Lord.”

Nikolaj smiled. Elik was right; that was a nice bathhouse, with a hot steam room, and a marble pool, and a place to relax and have massages, and even a room to have tea while the servants brushed your hair and clipped your nails. Why didn’t he use it often? And why didn’t he have at least a room with a bathtub installed in his suite? He should do it for Elik’s. 

Grinning, he sat up. “It seems I was hasty in giving you your rooms. They are clearly not ready yet.” He tied his breeches as he stood up. “Count Rasoulin,” he shouted. 

The Count looked in immediately. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

“My… His Imperial Highness’s rooms should have a bath. Arrange to have that made.” He turned to Elik. “Until your rooms are done, you will stay with me.”

Elik smiled. “Thank you, My Lord.”

“Till lunch time, my sweet.”

“Till lunch time, My Lord.”

Nikolaj started walking out of his wife’s rooms with a spring in his step. He definitely had lost the bet about… Or had he? He turned around. “Darling, you are finally used to my dick. Are you used to my wealth?”

Elik shook his head. “I’m sorry, My Lord. Must I really have so many servants and staff members? And so much gold? And…”

Nikolaj laughed. “Sorry, darling, you will have to put up with them. Till lunch time.”

“Till lunch time, My Lord,” Elik smiled. 

He couldn’t wait. “Ah, Mark,” he grinned when he saw him waiting in Elik’s audience room. “I thought we were meeting at the Red Room.”

“Your Majesty was late, so I decided to see what was holding you back, and if you needed any assistance.”

He grinned. “Thank you for your concern. I was just claiming Quhjan.”

“And Quhjan seems to have surrendered enthusiastically,” Mark said with a knowing expression. 

“Indeed,” he nodded. “Give your wife my thanks. Whatever advice she gave, it worked.”

“I will, Your Majesty.”

Nikolaj suddenly took Mark by the arm and leaned to whisper to him. “Mark, I can’t follow all the traditions with my darling Quhjan.”

“Your Majesty has broken several of them already. Which one concerns you now?”

“The one about the castration. I know it is to make male wives docile and meek, and make an example of their submission, but my wife is so obedient already. And so …” he sighed. It would be a crime to destroy the work of art that nature had created when it had created Elik’s jewels. 

“His Imperial Highness’ jewels are admirable indeed,” he agreed, making Nikolaj realise he’d said the last thing out loud. 

“You understand my problem, then.”

Mark nodded. “According to law, only a male Consort can keep his jewels.”

Nikolaj rolled his eyes backwards. “Which one of my ancestors devised this system again?”

“Ivan III, Your Majesty.”

He sighed. That old lecherous bugger. 

“The law says,” Mark continues, “A ruler’s bed slaves have no rights and bear slave children, his concubines are entitled to one house and bear free children, his wives are entitled to one palace and bear free children, and…”

“His consort is his Empress and has an equal share to her husband’s fortune. Her children are the Emperor’s heirs, and so there can be no male consorts, because an Empress’ role is to provide the Emperor with heirs.”

“Ergo, a male wife must lose his jewels because there can be no male consort.”

Nikolaj frowned. If Elik lost his jewels he wouldn’t enjoy his couplings with Nikolaj much; he was certain of it. “Says who?”

“Says who what?”

“That an Emperor can’t have a male consort. A childless Emperor can adopt or designate a relative as his heir. I know I read it somewhere.”

Mark narrowed his eyes. “That is true, Your Majesty. Still… An Emperor cannot marry a commoner and name her, or him, his consort. The law is strict. Your Majesty can only marry a person of high rank.”

“My darling is an Imperial prince.”

Mark looked a him as if he were a stubborn child. “Your Majesty gave him that title. I am certain that if we look into the laws, we will find that this doesn’t count, or every Emperor in the past would have called his lover an Imperial prince or princess and married them. How many such Emperors can you name, Your Majesty?”

“Eh, none?”

“Indeed.”

Nikolaj stopped walking. “He is of high rank. He’s a member of the Quhjani Council of Elders. That makes him Quhjani royalty, doesn’t it?”

Mark stopped next to him. He looked out of the window with a focused expression. “That may make him of high rank,” he finally spoke, “but he is still not noble. Quhjani have no nobility as we understand it.”

“But they have nobility as they understand it. Surely that must count.”

Mark sighed. “Let me look into it, Your Majesty.”

Nikolaj resumed walking towards the Red Room. “Please do, Mark.” Now that he knew how good it was to take pleasure from his wife as his wife took pleasure from him, he didn’t want to lose that feeling. He snorted. “I’m mad, my friend. I want to make Elik my consort because I love fucking him.”

“There are worse reasons for wanting to marry someone, Your Majesty,” Mark grinned. “If it’s any consolation, by now everyone knows that and wouldn’t be surprised if you did marry him and made him your consort.”

Nikolaj grinned. “I am claiming Quhjan a bit too enthusiastically.” Elik insisted that it was so.

“And a bit too often,” Mark agreed. “That is fine, Your Majesty. It is part of your role as conquering Emperor. And I will tell you a secret.” He lowered his voice. “Dima and Vassily approve wholeheartedly. While you are busy claiming Quhjan, they have a chance to fill up the treasury and restock, as well as recruit more men. We can’t afford another war right now, Your Majesty, so, please, claim Quhjan to your heart’s content until we can.”

Nikolaj grinned. He lightly slapped Mark on the back. “I will perform my role to the best of my abilities, then.” His darling might continue finding riding uncomfortable, but it was for the good of his empire. They would have to endure it, both of them.


	8. Challenges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, more of the exposition fairy, more politics, more of Elik's POV and *shocking* little smut!!!!!

Lady Ekaterina’s salon was as pink as her dress, making Elik glad that His Lord had chosen a deep green for the tapestries in his own rooms. Pink made for a striking contrast to the dark wood panels, but he still preferred the way the green and the brown blended together. He should thank His Lord properly when he was back in his bedchamber, he decided. 

“Tea?” 

“Yes, please.”

Lady Ekaterina gestured, and one of her maids poured the fragrant drink in the dainty porcelain cups, gold-rimmed and painted with little pink roses. 

This time, they were alone in her room. Well, alone with her and her three maids, one standing behind her ready to serve them tea, the other by the table with the tiny sweets and the third by the door, in case her mistress needed anything from another room. His Lord had laughed at him when he’d first protested. ‘Servants are moving furniture,’ he’d told him, ‘silent and obedient.’ Elik was certain they spied on them and gossiped behind their backs, and he felt bad sometimes at how easy it was to ignore them, just like His Lord and every other courtier did. “I am surprised we are alone,” he said. 

Lady Ekaterina smiled. “I am afraid that to involve others would be…”

“Yes?” he asked, leaning forward, curious and concerned. 

“I would like to know more about your homeland, Sir. The other ladies would find a history lesson boring. Unless…” She too leaned forward. “For example, I read that in Quhjan a man marries only one woman. Is that so? And what if they are not compatible?” She took a sip of her tea and sat back in her armchair, absentmindedly petting the tiny dog resting in her lap. 

“That is true, My Lady. If they are not compatible, they can separate.”

She frowned. “And who will provide for the woman if she is separated from her husband?”

“Women are capable of work, My Lady.”

She shuddered. “So, at Quhjan a woman is forced to work? Even a noble woman is like a poor commoner? Or have you no nobility?”

Elik drank a little. “This tea is excellent.”

“Thank you. I think one should have teas according to the season. As the weather grows cold, one should have more robust teas, and I find this smoked one perfect for the changing season.”

He nodded. Lady Ekaterina was a lady of refined taste; even her pink salon was beautiful – just not to his taste. “To answer your question, Madame, women do work in Quhjan, but they are not forced to. They do so, because to work means that you are proud of your skills and useful to your family and your community.”

“How noble,” she smiled, sounding like she mocked him.

How could he make her understand? “My Lady, if you were in Quhjan, and you were the wife of an Elder, your work would be to oversee your household. To make sure the pantries were full, the stocks replenished, the animals fed, the people clothed.”

She frowned for a second. “That is what I do here as well. Only Lady Gribov takes care of all the little details. I oversee her work.”

“Your household is much bigger than any Elder’s household,” he smiled. 

“So, it is just a matter of size and wealth? Your noble women do not do menial work?”

Elik shook his head. “No. But if a wife is pleased with her husband, she will cook for him, and dress him, and take care of his personal needs.”

“Hm… If I cooked for my husband, he’d be afraid of poisoning.” She laughed. “I have never stayed long enough in a kitchen to learn how things are cooked. And you?”

Elik smiled. “No, I was too busy with my studies and later my service to my country to have time to learn how to cook. Besides, I always thought I’d have a wife to do these things for me.”

“Instead of becoming a wife yourself,” she said with surprising gentleness. 

“Indeed.” Elik looked down. His life had changed so much in the last few months. He hadn’t expected anything of what had happened to him, but he didn’t regret it. His sister was safe back home, and she was probably just as busy with her studies as he had been at her age. That was good. 

“One thing I don’t understand, or,” Lady Ekaterina giggled, “Should I say, another thing I don’t understand, how do you know who is noble and who isn’t when there are no ranks? Here, all the noble persons are recorded in the Book of Purple, and have been so since the reign of Michael I.”

Elik looked up at her. She was a lady of taste in all things, realizing when her guests were uncomfortable and trying to dispel their brooding. “Simple. The families of the members of the Council of Elders are noble. No one else is.”

“So, only twelve families are noble in your homeland?” She shuddered in an exaggerated manner. “Here over 300 families are noble. Your laws are strict, Sir.”

“They had to be.” Elik smiled again. “I am afraid that I will bore you if I explained why.”

“Oh, no,” she pouted. “I did invite you here to be educated in Quhjani history. Unlike some people, I find history fascinating. How could anyone think it boring is beyond me,” she sighed deeply. “So, please, Sir, educate me.”

“As you wish, Madame.”

Her smile was brilliant. She put down her cup, burrowed in her chair and continued petting her dog, like a child eager to be told a fairy tale. 

Elik hoped she would not be disappointed or upset. It was not a pretty story. “Many, many years ago,” he stopped, trying to correlate the Quhjani date, calculated according to their method of counting years by seasons to the date according to the ruler’s reign, as was the custom there, “at the reign of your King Vassa.”

She widened her pretty brown eyes. “That was ages ago,” she whispered. 

“Yes, many, many, many years ago. Although, really, it all started long before that, when Quhjan was founded by twelve tribes. Since none of the tribe leaders could give up their rights to rule, it was decided that there would be a king selected by one of the twelve families of the tribe leaders.”

“Like they do in Thur-and-Foire? Where they gather at Aethen to vote for their life-long Emperor among all the nobles of the empire?”

“Something like that. No, in Quhjan the first king was selected by a random ballot, and after that, any leader who wanted, could challenge him to a duel. If he won, he was named king, and first among equals.”

Lady Ekaterina stayed silent.

“By the time of the reign of King Vassa every one was tired of this custom, by then considered a senseless slaughter of able and skilled men in their prime. So, the members of the twelve families decided that there would be kings no more. Quhjan would be ruled by a Council, instead, formed by the heads of the twelve ruling families.”

She nodded. “Yes, that would make sense.” She smiled. “I knew it was quicker to ask you, than to try and find out more about your country from an old, musty history book. If we even have such a thing here.”

“You might. The Imperial Library is massive.”

She nodded. “More tea?”

&*&*

Two days later, His Lord made him get dressed in a particularly fine set of clothes of dark green velvet with gold embroidery. “You are coming to the Council Meeting,” he announced when the servants moved away, and His Lord nodded approvingly.

“I have no place in the Council, My Lord,” he said quietly. “Your Ministers will object.”

“So what? I want you there.” He grabbed Elik by the wrist and guided him to the Council Room with hurried steps, almost running. Elik did not dare protest again, and rushed behind His Lord. 

Once in the Council Room, His Lord’s Ministers showed no expression, scaring Elik. He turned towards His Lord, and saw how determined he looked. They all knew something, and he didn’t. Elik took a deep breath. So far, His Lord had proven good to him. He hoped he would remain so, but even if His Lord stopped being kind towards Elik, it would be fine. He hadn’t forgotten that he’d accepted slavery to save his sister. For her safety, he would endure it all. 

His Lord took a seat and Elik was surprised when he was made to sit at the empty seat next to him. He had expected to be made to kneel – or perform his devotion to His Lord publicly.

“I called you here to discuss an important matter that has been weighing on me for the last weeks,” His Lord said calmly. 

Duke Andrejevich nodded. “Item one on the agenda. Choice of Imperial Consort.”

“About time,” the Chancellor muttered under his breath. “Your Majesty.”

Elik did not understand. Why was he there? Perhaps His Lord had been bored of him? He sat up a straight in his seat. He would take it, whatever His Lord decided. 

His Lord grinned. “According to our laws, I will take a consort that is worthy of me.”

“Princess Anne of of Thur-and-Foire would make a great consort, Your Majesty,” Duke Vladimirov suggested. 

“Did you not read the memo?” Duke Andrejevich hissed. “His Majesty has already decided.”

His Lord laughed. “Indeed, I have, Adam. Pavel, I am certain Princess Anne would make a fine consort, but she is not for me.” He put his hand on Elik’s and squeezed his fingers. “I have decided to remarry my lovely wife and make him my consort.”

Elik turned to stare at His Lord. His voice couldn’t come out, so he just looked at him in shock. 

The Chancellor nodded. “Since His Imperial Highness is Quhjani royalty, Your Majesty can get married to him lawfully.”

Elik shook his head, still shocked and feeling a little hurt. But why had he expected Lady Ekaterina not to talk to her husband? Who knew, perhaps Lady Ekaterina had shown him friendship only because the Chancellor had ordered her. But that didn’t matter. “I am no royalty,” he said, since that was what mattered at that moment. 

“Hush, my swet,” His Lord whispered. 

“But that’s not true. We have no kings at Quhjan.”

Duke Vladimirov looked pleased. “The matter is settled, then. I vote for Princess Anne.”

“Are you or are you not a member of the Council of Elders? And isn’t that Council formed of the twelve families who provided Quhjan with their kings in the past?” His Lord asked him impatiently. “If yes, you are a king.”

Elik shook his head again. “To be named king, I would need to defeat the previous king in a duel.”

“Fine, We will appoint someone a king, then you can defeat him, and then you will be king. And after that,” His Lord smiled, “You can marry me. Properly this time, with all the pomp and ceremony of an imperial wedding.”

Elik shuddered with anger. “You are asking me to fight one of my countrymen, My Lord. One of the men with whom I served my country. No.”

His Lord took a deep breath. “You refuse me?”

“Yes. Give me to the whole army, if you want. I don’t care. I refuse to fight someone to improve my rank.” He stood up. “Here I am, do with me as you will, My Lord.”

His Lord swallowed hard. He glanced at the Chancellor first and then at Duke Andrejevich. “Oh, fuck this,” he said as he grabbed Elik’s arm and pushed him on the table. Elik felt His Lord reach for him. Even under the circumstances, Elik found himself responding to His Lord’s caress, and pushed into his hand. 

“Your Majesty, perhaps we should finish the discussion first?” The Chancellor suggested, smirking. 

With a broken moan, His Lord stopped fondling him and pulled him to his lap. “Darling,” he gasped, “please accept this deal, so we can end this discussion and I can fuck you.”

Elik sighed, willing his body to calm down. Killing a person for improving his own rank was wrong. “If I am to do this, it would have to be for the benefit of my people, My Lord.”

“What do you propose?” The Chancellor asked.

Elik thought for a few moments. What would be the best for his people? “If an Empress is equal to her husband, then my country should be equal to yours. Rename the empire. Remove the ruler you appointed and restore the government of Quhjan to the Council of Elders. Give Quhjan its laws back, and give the people the same rights and freedoms as the people of your country. That’s what I want.”

“Outrageous,” shouted Duke Vladimirov.

“Impossible,” Duke Okdranov screamed, banging his fist on the table. 

His Lord stared at him hard. “I can’t do that.”

He stared back. “I can’t do what you ask me either. My Lord.”

The Ministers started shouting all the same time. 

“To make Quhjan equal to us would set a precedent, Your Majesty,” the Chancellor’s voice rose over the noise. “If your successor, or any other emperor, chose a consort from a conquered land, then her country would also need to be named and become an equal partner in the empire.”

The Ministers approved his words with hitting their fists down even more aggressively. 

“I don’t see why not. Thur-and-Foire were two separate countries at first but…” Elik started. 

His Lord suddenly pushed him off him, making him fall hard on the floor. “Enough,” he shouted as he stood up, banging his hand so hard on the table. Elik heard a noise, and then saw a vase fall on the floor. That was the last noise he heard. The Ministers went quiet.

His Lord smiled down at him and offered him his hand. “Sorry,” he whispered as Elik placed his fingers in His Lord’s palm and His Lord pulled him up effortlessly and made him seat at the chair next to him. “I can’t allow this. It would lead to insurrection, with the people of every conquered land demanding to become equal.”

What was wrong with that? Elik thought, but didn’t say it. He didn’t like the idea of insurrection any more than the Ministers or His Lord, though. He'd seen enough bloodshed in his short life. If people’s lives were to become better, it shouldn’t be through violence but through law and education. Perhaps if His Lord continued to be kind to him in the future, Elik would manage that without the need for rebellions. “My Lord,” he smiled, “I am happy to be your wife. I do not need to be your Consort.” 

His Lord glanced at the Chancellor before squeezing Elik’s fingers again. 

Duke Vladimirov narrowed his eyes. “This is because he has his balls, Your Majesty. Now we can all see how just and right the law is, ordering the castration of male wives. No woman would dare speak like that to her husband.”

The Chancellor let out a snort. 

Duke Okdranov nodded. “She wouldn’t dare in public, but in private? You speak like that because you have no wife, Pavel. Once you get married, you will see how it really is.”

“Perhaps,” Duke Vladimirov agreed after a few moments of mulling over their words. “Still, this is a problem. Your Majesty, you should control your wife, and castrating him would show everyone that you have him under control.”

Elik felt the fine hairs in his arms rise with dread. He smiled to His Lord. “Please show your court that you have me under control, Your Majesty. The Chief Physician assured me that almost every man survives the surgery.”

“Almost everyone?” His Lord gasped.

Elik nodded. 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Chancellor agreed. “The chances of His Highness dying are low. And after four months, once the wound is healed, you may resume claiming His Highness as before.”

“After four months?” His Lord shouted. 

The Chancellor nodded. “To do so before, would endanger His Highness' life.”

“Unless My Lord does not care about it?” Elik said as meekly and innocently as he could. 

With a huff, His Lord sat down again. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, then his gaze wandered around the room, and finally settled on the notebook in front of him. After a few minutes of silence, His Lord sighed deeply. “I cannot name Quhjan an equal partner to my empire,” he said with authority. “But I can grant Quhjan the right to govern itself, and restore the Council of Elders to power, under the condition that Quhjan will provide men for wars, and will continue to pay taxes as usual.” He turned towards his Ministers. “This would not set precedents, would it?”

The Chancellor frowned. “No, Your Majesty,” he finally said. 

“This sounds like an acceptable solution,” Duke Okdranov added. “We need men for war.”

“And money,” Duke Theissen nodded. 

His Lord turned towards Elik. “As you see, my sweet, you can either stay my wife and be mutilated, or fight a duel, and be my intact Empress.”

Elik took a deep breath. He could stay His Lord's wife, slightly better than a concubine in the eyes of the law, or he could agree to this plan, and give his people some of their freedoms back. “I will fight, then. Can you promise to give Quhjan its autonomy even if I get killed?”

“Killed?”

“It will be a proper duel, My lord. To the death. A country can’t have two kings.”

His Lord stared at him. He nodded as he untied his breeches and showed Elik how hard he was. “I promise,” he gasped, taking Elik’s hand and wrapping his fingers around his erection. “This discussion is over, right?” he said as Elik started stroking him. “Adam, you will write to Quhjan and inform them of Our decision?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“This meeting is over. You may go,” His Lord grinned. “Or you may stay, I don’t care.”

“It is tempting, Your Majesty,” the Chancellor smirked. “No husband can have sex in public with his main wife or wife of first-rank, much less an Emperor with his consort.”

“Ah, yes, I had forgotten that law,” he sighed as he found the bottle of oil.

“No sex in public?” Elik frowned as he took the bottle from His Lord’s hand and started preparing him. “And I had finally gotten used to that.”


	9. Once more, but now with feelings

Nikolaj knelt on the bed. His darling took his stiff cock into his hands, spreading more oil on him. “How did you spend the rest of the day?”

Elik straddled him. Nikolaj moved a little forward, so that Elik could better sit on him. A moment later, Elik took his dick in his hand again and guided it inside him slowly. “At the library.”

“Is that wise?” He sighed. “Darling, you should practice for your duel.”

Elik looked at him strangely. He wrapped his arms around Nikolaj’s neck and started fucking himself on Nikolaj’s cock. “Right now, I want to feel you, My Lord. Can we discuss this later?”

Nikolaj hugged Elik’s waist. “Fine for now,” he grinned. 

His darling leaned even closer to him and kissed him. His tongue invited Nikolaj’s to play, flexible and teasing, and his mouth was so sweet. Nikolaj couldn’t get enough of his taste. He couldn’t get enough of the way his darling was clenching around him either. His darling was so warm and tight. 

Gently, Nikolaj caressed Elik’s back, and then, still holding him firmly, he reached for his darling’s cock. It jumped as his fingers closed around it, excited and happy, and then pulsed as he stroked him. 

Elik rocked himself against Nikolaj, trying to move in time with Nikolaj’s strokes. For a moment, Nikolaj was tempted to push his darling down and thrust in an out of him, but it was so much better when his darling did things at his own pace, and held on to him while Nikolaj hugged him. 

His darling broke the kiss. “My Lord,” he gasped as his whole body went taut in Nikolaj’s arms and around his dick. A second later, Elik’s cock pulsed furiously, and his passage tightened rhythmically around Nikolaj. “My sweet,” Nikolaj responded, clasping his darling as close to him as possible as his orgasm took over him.

Elik sagged against him, and Nikolaj fell back on the bed, keeping his darling close, and his cock buried inside him. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply, feeling and hearing Elik do the same. “Now we should talk,” he whispered as he gently pulled out of his darling. 

“Yes, My Lord,” his sweet replied, half-lying on top of him. He traced Nikolaj’s muscles with his right hand almost absent-mindedly. 

“You will have the best swords masters in my army help you practice,” Nikolaj promised. “Or the best masters in whatever weapon you will use.”

“I will use a sword, My Lord.”

“Good. Then it’s settled. But no more wasting time in the library.”

“My Lord, if I am king, then another could challenge me. I need to figure out how to prevent that from happening.”

Nikolaj smiled. “You don’t have to do this alone, darling. We can solve this problem together.”

Elik kissed him over his heart. “Thank you, My Lord.”

“And maybe you can help me solve another problem. What to do if the Quhjani Elders refuse to nominate one of their own as king. They will be sending him to his death, after all.”

His darling sighed deeply. “If the benefits to the many outweigh the benefits to the individual, the individual sacrifices himself or herself for the many. I don’t think they will refuse, but if they do, I will help you find another solution.”

Nikolaj caressed the back of Elik’s head. Just like his darling had sacrificed himself for the sake of his sister and his people? Elik held his people to such high standards of moral behaviour. For his darling’s sake, he wished they did the right thing. For the only other solution Nikolaj could think was to kill all the members of the Council of Elders, except for Elik. That too would leave one king only in Quhjan, but he knew that this would be a solution that Elik would not accept easily or happily. 

The thought of having to mutilate Elik to please some of his ministers was too distressing. Almost as distressing as the thought that, for some people, even with a title, his Elik would always be nothing more than a glorified concubine. There were those who think him only better than a common slave because he belonged to him, the Emperor. But he wanted Elik to belong to him, Nikolaj. He sighed. 

“My Lord?”

“Pavel has the benefit of the kingdom in his heart,” he whispered, thinking back at that morning’s meeting. “A marriage with Princess Anne would solidify my alliance with Thur-and-Foire.”

“Perhaps My Lord should reconsider his decision,” Elik said softly. 

Even so, Nikolaj heard the unhappiness in his voice, and he hugged him close to him. “I don’t need to solidify my alliance. Thur-and-Foire know better than to try and attack.”

“They might, if Your Majesty moves against Solberg. They could claim they are trying to protect their neighbours against Your Majesty’s expansionist plans.”

“I did not conquer Quhjan just because it is next to Solberg so I could attack Thur-and-Foire next.”

“Did you not?” 

Nikolaj frowned. “I am an Emperor, and an Emperor conquers. Even a child knows that.”

Elik sighed. “That is all?” he asked, sounding almost disappointed. “Back when you first declared war on us, I wondered why you had done that. Our land is fertile and our horses fast, but My Lord’s empire is so vast, you did not need the riches from our land.”

Nikolaj bit back a sigh. “Quhjan this, Quhjan that. My sweet, won’t you ever make my land your home?”

Elik froze in his arms. “Ah,” he finally said. “I see. I’m sorry.”

Nikolaj couldn’t refrain from sighing. He couldn’t tell his darling that he knew how he’d torn him away from his beloved home, but he could tell him something else that was also true. He sat up, raising Elik with him so he could look at him in the eyes. Elik looked at him back, his expression calm and revealing none of his inner thoughts. Elik’s mother had managed to raise a diplomat, he found himself thinking with a smile. 

“I understand you miss your home, and you wouldn’t be you without being brought up in Quhjan, so don’t be sorry for that. But if you don’t decide to make a home here in your heart, no matter how many things or houses I give you, you will never belong here. Darling, my sweet, my Elik, I want to share my life with you, but when you speak like that, I wonder if maybe you don’t want to share your life with me.” 

Elik frowned, but Nikolaj did not know if he agreed or disapproved. 

Nikolaj sighed even more deeply. God above, when Mark heard of this, he would be so furious. He didn’t like his idea either, but he too has his pride and his honour. He was no monster. Tradition may have made him take wife after wife against their will, but he could not force someone to become his one and only Empress. 

“Darling, officially I can’t set you free, but if you can’t find it in your heart to be with me and make my home your home, I will arrange it so that you will be free of me. You will be declared dead, and in your honour, I will give your beloved country its autonomy. I will give you money and you can go wherever you want, free of me forever.” He kissed Elik on the lips for a second, and then moved away from him. “Sleep on it, darling,” he said as he slid out of the bed. “Till breakfast, my sweet.” He picked up his dressing gown from the chair and started pulling it on him. 

“My Lord?” Elik asked quietly.

“I said, you can sleep on it. Take your time to think.” 

The next moment he heard the rustle of silk as Elik moved off the bed, and then the soft sound of his feet stepping on the carpet. “My Lord,” Elik hugged him from behind, pressing his body on Nikolaj’s back. 

Nikolaj closed his eyes. “Darling?”

“You are right, My Lord. I do not feel like I belong here. Everything here is so grand, so opulent, so complicated. I keep telling myself that my life is here now, but my heart is still too full of love for my country.”

Nikolaj froze. If his darling wanted to be free, he would free him. A moment later Nikolaj realized that Elik’s pulling at his arms was his attempt to make him turn around, so he did. He looked down at his darling, and even though he was terrified he was about to lose him, he couldn’t help but smile at him. His sweet looked so composed and dignified. 

“All this time, only My Lord’s kindness towards me made life here bearable,” Elik told him softly.

“I don’t want you to stay with me because you feel obligated to me. I want you to stay because you love me,” Nikolaj said fiercely. 

Elik’s eyes widened. 

Nikolaj felt his breath catch at his throat. He hadn’t realized he loved Elik until he’d asked that of his darling. How strange that was. 

“I don’t know if I love you, My Lord,” Elik whispered. “But I feel happy when you are with me, and unhappy when you are not.”

Nikolaj smiled, despite his disappointment that his love was not reciprocated. He liked Elik’s honesty. “That’s a good start.” Perhaps that was all he would ever get, he realized. He had forced Elik into slavery, after all. To expect to be loved by him was too much. 

Elik gave him a sad smile. “I’m sorry, My Lord.”

Nikolaj smiled back. He pushed Elik gently away. “You don’t have to answer me tonight.”

“But I do,” Elik replied hurriedly, hugging him. “My Lord.”

“And what is your answer, darling?”

“Quhjan will always be my first home, but I want to stay here, My Lord, and make this place my new home.” Elik looked at him with determination. “If I win that duel, and become your consort, I promise you, I will not be your Quhjani consort. I will be a consort of whom your whole empire can be proud.”

“It will be our empire, darling.”

Elik shivered. “That will be such a responsibility,” he whispered. “But I will not let you down, My Lord,” he said, standing a little straighter, despite still embracing him. “I will love our country, as I love Quhjan.”

“And will you love me?” he found himself asking without meaning to. He laughed immediately, shaking his head, before Elik could reply. “Tell me this, only when you know you love me. Not before.” And if Elik never said it? He didn’t want to think of that possibility, but if it never happened, it never happened. 

“Thank you, My Lord.” Elik nuzzled his chest. “Now, will you come back to bed, My Lord?” Elik smiled at him sweetly. “It’s late and we both have to wake up early tomorrow.”

Nikolaj let his darling take off his gown and guide him back to their bed. He lay down and watched as Elik gathered the bedcovers and arranged them over him before coming to rest next to him, placing his hands over Nikolaj’s chest and curling around him. “I like it when you hold me to sleep,” Elik whispered. 

“I like holding you too, my sweet. But I prefer fucking you.”

“You never fucked me to sleep, My Lord.”

“I haven’t?” He laughed. “Should we change that?”

Elik chuckled. “Why not?” He slid off Nikolaj and lay on his stomach. “Is this good?”

Nikolaj reached for the oil bottle with one hand and pushed the covers away with the other. He liked seeing his darling when he fucked him and, in the candlelight, his darling looked exquisite. “It’s very good,” he agreed. He climbed over Elik, splaying his legs open so that Elik was lying between them, his darling's ass right under his dick. “Now, let’s make it better.”


	10. The challenger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could never write fight scenes, yet I always loved sword fights... what a problem. Anyway, I looked things up and the fight might be plausible. I used a few techniques and ideas from videos of historical fighting reenactors, as well as looked up info on armour, and I tried to make it realistic, but, I don't know if it would be possible, really. Sorry....

Time passed fast, far too fast for Nikolaj and before he knew it, he was at Jedlowa in front of the Council House, his darling riding beside him on a black gelding, and the members of the Council of Elders of Quhjan standing in front of him. 

The city had changed since the last time he’d been there; the buildings that had been burned had been torn down, but no new houses had been built in their place. Everywhere he looked, there were empty spaces. The few stone buildings that were standing had blackened walls. Even the Council House was different, a new , large wooden structure standing in the place of the old stone Hall that used to dominate Jedlowa’s central square. 

“Your Imperial Majesty,” a tall and broad young man stepped forward to greet him. Like the other Council men, he was wearing a black mantle lined with fox fur. 

He nodded. 

“And the Challenger,” he snorted, pointing towards Elik. 

Elik glared at him. “They named you King,” he hissed. 

“Yes, and I will keep my crown.”

An older Council member stepped forward. “This is not the time for this,” he said amiably. “Your Imperial Majesty.” He turned towards Elik. “Your Imperial Highness. Welcome to Jedlowa. This is our King Radu the Third, and I am Vassia Grigorief, Council Archivist and Secretary.”

Nikolaj dismounted. He gave the reins to his white stallion to one of his guards and watched as Elik also climbed off his horse. 

“We have prepared a feast for you,” he said as he led them into the Council House. 

The Hall was a wide room with a high ceiling. On one side there was a dais where a number of tables had been placed. The Elder guided them up, and bade them sit, Nikolaj at the centre of the table in the middle, with King Rady to his left. Grigorief sat to his right, and Elik sat next to him. Once they were seated, the other members of the Council and their wives were presented to Nikolaj and then took their place at the table. When they too were seated, a young girl in a dark blue dress was presented to Nikolaj. 

Even before they announced her name, Nikolaj knew who she was. Although her hair was light red and curly, she had the same fine features as his darling, and the same slender built. It could only be his sweet’s precious sister. 

“Irina Alexandrovna, Your Imperial Majesty,” the Master of Ceremonies announced. 

Nikolaj smiled at her. “Pleased to meet you, Lady Irina.”

She smiled back, and then hurried to take her seat next to her brother. Nikolaj smiled as he saw the two siblings start talking to each other in hushed voices, ignoring everyone around them. 

King Radu noticed. “Enjoy the sight, Your Majesty,” he said snidely. “You will not see it again.”

Nikolaj refused to be baited. “How was Your Majesty selected? By random ballot or…?”

“I volunteered, Your Majesty,” he said proudly. “There is no greater honour than to serve one’s country,” he said loudly, “and I asked for the burden to secure our country’s freedom.”

“You will grant Quhjan the freedom to rule itself regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s duel as you have promised, won’t you, Your Majesty?” Grigorief asked.  
Nikolaj nodded. “His Highness insisted on that.”

“How honourable of him,” King Radu sneered. 

Nikolaj had to ask for the cause of the obvious enmity between this man and his darling, but later, not when his darling was still engaged in discussion with his sister. 

Grigorief cleared his throat. He made a signal.

The Master of Ceremonies announced loudly, “Dinner is served.” Servants in bright yellow clothes appeared, bringing wash basins and towels.

Nikolaj smiled with relief. He hoped that eating would keep King Radu’s mouth occupied. He knew how to not rise to baiting, but that didn’t mean he liked listening to it. 

*&*&

“No wonder you eat so little,” Nikolaj laughed as soon as the doors to their suite were closed, and he was alone with his darling. “Your food is horrible.” And so was their suite; small, dark, with only a bed and two chairs on the side of a table.

“What did you not like, My Lord?” Elik asked him as he made him sit down and knelt in front of him. 

He stretched his leg so that Elik could remove his right boot. “Everything,” he grinned as he ruffled Elik’s hair. 

“My Lord,” Elik smiled, “you tease me. I saw you; you ate everything that was placed before you. Only the plates escaped your appetite,” he said as he put that boot aside and started unlacing the left one. 

He chuckled. “Perhaps I tease you. Perhaps I was hungry after a month of surviving on whatever food the different Lords had prepared for us on the way here. Perhaps I was just being polite.”

Elik put the second boot aside and massaged his leg. “They have prepared a bath for us.” He stood up and started unbuttoning Nikolaj’s coat. 

Nikolaj stopped him. “Elik.”

“My Lord?”

“That man they call king. He doesn’t like you.”

Elik smiled without concern. “And I don’t like him. If murderous intent is a weapon, then we are equally matched.”

“He is almost as tall as me,” he continued.

“And heavier than me. He has longer reach, but I am more agile. I’d say we’re equally matched in this as well, though different.” 

Being heavier meant that he could put more power behind his thrusts. No, he would not say that his darling was equally matched to that man. “But…”

Elik placed his finger on Nikolay’s mouth. “My Lord. I do not want to talk of him.” He embraced him tightly. “It is hard enough already that I must sleep apart from you, and deny our couplings so as to keep my strength for tomorrow.” He sighed. “I’d rather we bathed together and kissed until it is time to sleep.”

Nikolaj held Elik just as tightly. “And so we shall.” 

Elik smiled at him. “Then, let’s do so. I feel sticky and sweaty after riding all day and having to have dinner without a chance to refresh myself.”

He felt the same. “Lead the way, my darling.” 

*&*&

According to the reports of his swordsmasters, Elik was fast and agile, and surprisingly strong for his built, but had little stamina. After seeing King Radu, he could not help but be worried. If King Radu was anything like him, he would have strength and stamina. If King Radu was just like him, possessing agility as well as his power, then Elik would be in real trouble. 

The thought of losing him, though, remained one he tried to refuse to entertain. He had avoided that thought for two months, ever since the Council of Quhjan had accepted his offer. Whenever it passed through his head, Nikolaj dispelled it. The closer they had been to Quhjan, though, the more frequent the thought had become, and the effort it took to not dwell on it tremendous. 

As if fueled by this hidden fear, though, their couplings had become better and better in the last two months. Elik clung to him like a seemingly-delicate ivy wrapping itself around a sturdy trunk. Just like the ivy, though, Elik drew strength from him, and his response grew more and more forceful. If Nikolaj wanted to be buried in his darling forever, his darling acted like he wanted to keep Nikolaj inside him for just as long. 

He did not regret that they had spent the last three nights apart, though. His darling needed to preserve his strength, and as he saw King Radu climb the stairs and step on the platform that had been constructed in the middle of the central square, he knew they had made the right decision. King Radu was wearing a heavy plated armour that covered his whole body, and a helmet with a golden crown on top. He had a broadsword sheathed to his side, and carried a broad, round shield. King Radu leaned on the bare, wooden fence on the edge of the platform, lifted his visor and waved at the crowd, both standing and seated.

The ones standing around the platform cheered loudly. Their clothes varied in colour and quality. These must have been the city’s merchants, the farmers and the tradesmen, the craftsmen, the poor, together with their families. The city’s rich and the Councilmen were seated, and they only stomped their feet. A stepped dais had been constructed for them on one side of the platform, with Nikolaj and his guards occupying its upper tier, the Councilmen the second, and the other rich and important people the last one, closer to the ground. 

Nikolaj felt a tug at his sleeve. He turned and saw Lady Irina looking up at him. He gestured, and one his guards brought a stool so she could sit beside him. “He will be fine,” he whispered to her as King Radu walked around the platform, showing off. 

She nodded. Her eyes were huge and red-rimmed, revealing that she had been crying. “If he kills my brother, I will challenge him in ten years,” she told him solemnly. 

“If he kills your brother, he will not live for ten years,” he promised her. He’d give Quhjan its autonomy, as he had promised, but the slayer of his darling would not live long after killing him. No one killed a member of the Imperial Household unpunished.

“Good,” she nodded with a fierce expression. She suddenly gasped, grabbed his hand and squeezed his fingers as she looked to her left. 

He turned his head and watched as Elik also walked out of the Council House. He too was wearing a full body armour and a helmet, and had a longsword strapped to his side, but he had no shield. 

“They want to kill him,” she whispered to him and squeezed his fingers again. “Oh, if I could, I would kill them all, all these treacherous old men,” she muttered under her breath, glaring at the Council members. 

Nikolaj couldn’t help but grin. So much passion in such a small frame. She would grow into a formidable woman. “Why?” he asked her, although his attention was drawn to the platform. Elik and King Radu stood motionless, facing each other. 

“Because he loves you,” she told him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and he was stupid for not seeing it. “They think it’s shameful that he loves our conqueror, so they condemned him to die. Why do you think they gave him no shield?” She spat on the ground, in the exact manner of his most seasoned soldiers. 

His amusement mingled with a strange fluttering in his heart. His darling had not told him he loved him yet, but if his sister said it was so, then surely his darl… 

With a mighty roar, King Radu attacked Elik, cutting off his dreams of love. Without a shield, Elik had no choice but to use his sword to parry the attack. Elik then moved forward, pushing back King Radu with their swords still touching each other, and then jumped back, disengaging his sword, and moving swiftly into another attack. King Radu defended himself by raising his shield with his left arm, and thrusting with his right arm, trying to jar Elik. Elik danced away from the blow, and moved to the left, trying to hit King Radu from that side. King Radu blocked him, raised his sword, but Elik stepped away from that attack as well. 

Nikolaj bit his lips, as King Radu turned and, swinging his sword, managed to hit Elik’s arm. Lady Irina gasped and squeezed his hand. “It’s only a hit,” he whispered to her. “Swords can’t cut through an armour.” 

“But it can make him lose his balance. Oh, no,” she cried.

King Radu had managed to come close to Elik, and his sword’s blade came in contact with Elik’s. Elik tried to push King Radu away from him, but King Radu’s grip was stronger. He pulled Elik to him for a moment and then threw him down on the floor of the platform. Yelling, King Radu threw his shield away and raised his sword to hit Elik. 

Lady Irina’s grip hurt, but Nikolaj wished he too had someone whose hand he could grab. 

With a cry, Elik kicked King Radu and rolled away from him. King Radu’s sword hit the floor, and with a scream, King Radu pulled it out, raised it up and tried to hit Elik again, still on the ground and trying to stand. Elik managed another swift escape from the coming sword, but Nikolaj’s mouth had gone dry and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. Elik wouldn’t make it. 

It had been such a stupid idea. He should have killed them all, and then beg Elik to forgive him, instead of watching as that man who hated Elik tried to strike him. Elik’s only saving grace was that King Radu was not using an axe. 

King Radu struck again. This time, Elik raised his sword to block the hit, and kicked up at the same time, striking King Radu on the belly and making him fall down next to him. Before King Radu could rise, Elik was on him, thrusting a dagger into the gap between the spaulder protecting his upper arm and the cuirass. With a scream, King Radu raised his sword again and hit Elik on the head, jarring him and making him pull back for a second. Before King Radu could bring his sword down against Elik’s helmet a second time, Elik thrust his dagger into the eye opening of the helmet. King Radu’s scream was frightening, and with the last of his strength, he hit Elik on the back of the head. 

Elik fell back and lay on the platform motionless. 

“Eli,” Lady Irina screamed. She let go of his hand and ran down the stepped dais. “Eli, Eli,” she kept screaming as she ran into the square. 

Nikolaj wished he could follow her. All he could do was watch her as she climbed the stairs to the platform and knelt next to her brother. “Eli,” she continued crying, “Eli?” She raised the visor of his helmet. “Eli?”

Grigorief made his way slowly to the platform. “Lady Irina, I’m so sorry for…” he started saying as he climbed the stairs. 

Nikolaj felt dizzy and frozen at the same time. Not one of these treacherous old men would live. Whenever he found the strength to order their deaths and stop feeling so cold inside. 

“Eli,” Lady Irina shouted, annoyed and relieved at the same time, “if you ever scare me like that, I will kill you. I swear it.”

In the deafening silence that followed her outburst, Nikolaj heard a soft, familiar chuckle. Imperial dignity be damned. He stood up and ran down the dais, crossed the square, and climbed up the platform, following in Lady Irina’s footsteps. Like her, he knelt next to Elik and looked at his pale, tired face. “And if you scare me again,” he started, not knowing how to finish. 

Elik smiled at him. “Sorry, My Lord.”

Lady Irina frowned. “You call your husband ‘Lord’? That is so funny, Eli.”

Nikolaj started laughing. He motioned his guards away and gestured for his servants to come up. “Call for my physician,” he commanded one of them. “His Imperial Highness needs to change and rest,” he told the others. “Help him to his room.”

“Eli can come home,” Lady Irina told him softly, her tone slightly raised at the end, making her statement a question. 

Nikolaj smiled. “He can go home,” he nodded. “Take His Highness to Lady Irina’s house.” He took her hand in his. “May I also join you at your house, My Lady?”

Lady Irina smiled at him. “Of course. You are my brother’s husband. You are more than welcome.”

Nikolaj stood up as his servants helped Elik up and, guided by Lady Irina, led him away from the platform. He turned to Grigorief. “His Imperial Highness is now King of Quhjan. Make the proclamation. Or I will,” he said coldly, “announcing the death of traitors at the same time.”

Grigorief raised his hand. “Elik Alexandrov is the new King of Quhjan.”

Everyone started stomping the floor of the dais or the ground with their feet. 

Pleased, Nikolaj smiled. “Good. Prepare the coronation ceremony and feast. The moment His Highness is up, he’s getting crowned.” He’d be damned if he let his darling stay longer than that to this place. He wanted to take him back to their home and make him his Empress. His darling was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was very tempted to end it on a cliff-hanger, but I hate cliff-hangers. I hate them so much, that I couldn't do it!!!! LOL


	11. King of Quhjan

His darling’s house was one of the few stone buildings still standing, but it was not grand by any means. Just standing outside it made Nikolaj realise just how dazed his darling must have felt all the time at his palace. 

The door opened with a creak. Lady Irina smiled at him warmly. “We have knockers, you know.”

Nikolaj grinned. If he didn’t know her brother, he would have supposed that her straightforward manner was because of her youth and ignorance. “I was just trying to figure out how many rooms there are.”

Lady Irina looked behind him. “Not enough to house all your entourage.” She pointed at two of his servants and two of his guards. “You can stay with us. The rest of you will stay in the rooms allocated to you by the Council.” She came out of the house and offered her hand to Nikolaj. “Eli was asking for you.”

With another smile, Nikolaj dismounted, gave her his arm and let her guide him inside a tall, narrow hall and up a wide staircase. 

“Downstairs we have the kitchen, the pantry, and the laundry room. Upstairs are the bedrooms, the bath and the dining hall.” 

“How many bedrooms you have?”

“Four.” 

So, their house was probably as big as his bathhouse. This was what being rich in Quhjan meant? 

The staircase ended in a long, narrow corridor. Doors marked the location of the rooms, and Lady Irina guided him towards the last one. “The physician said he must not sleep at all, so, if you see El trying to sleep, you mustn’t let him.” She looked at him very seriously. “And if Eli does sleep, you must call for the physician immediately, he said.”

His physician must have been worried of Elik having taken a serious hit on the head during the duel. He too was afraid of that, after seeing how Radu had struck him at the end. He nodded. “Worry not, My Lady. I will look after him.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “You are very, very tall,” she said with awe, as she gestured for him to lower himself to her eye level. 

He knelt in front of her. “My Lady?”

She leaned forward and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for taking care of Eli.” She pulled back. “The physician gave me a list of foods for Eli, so I need to make new plans for supper. I will see you later.” She smiled again and skipped as she ran towards the staircase. 

Nikolaj shook his head, amused. He stood up and opened the door. “Your…” he started saying, but the sight made him stop. Elik did not have a bedroom; he had a library. Two of the walls were lined with books. That’s what they spent their money on in Quhjan? How odd. One of the walls that had no books had a large window that took up most of its surface, and the other a huge fireplace where the fire was strong enough to warm the whole room. As for furniture, there were a cabinet with a wash basin and a jug, a desk with a single chair, and a narrow bed where Elik was sitting as he was sipping his tea, lost in thought. 

His darling still looked pale, wore only loose trousers, and the physician had wrapped his arm, chest and head with bandages. The moment he saw him, he put his cup down on the desk and made to stand. “My Lord.”

Nikolaj was beside him in three strides. He pushed him gently down and then sat next to him. “You were hurt?” he asked, touching gingerly the bandage on Elik’s arm. 

“No, just bruised. The physician put a lot of salve on me, though.” He grinned. 

Nikolaj grinned back. “You were magnificent,” he told him, caressing his cheek. 

Elik smiled proudly for a moment. “I had forgotten why I hate fighting,” he said quietly. His voice was hoarse. 

“Well, I am glad you won.” He kissed him, trying to keep the kiss brief, but Elik would have none of that. His tongue invaded Nikolaj’s mouth with a vigour that did not match Elik’s wan appearance, and Nikolaj surrendered to him. 

A moment later Elik was reaching for his breeches. Nikolaj knew well how being close to death made you eager to embrace life, so he reached for his darling’s pants, slipped his hand inside them and took his darling’s cock into his hand. 

Elik shifted so he could be closer to Nikolaj. When his fingers closed around Nikolaj’s dick and he started stroking him fast, Nikolaj shuddered. He had missed this. He eagerly followed Elik’s lead in the kiss, and matched him thrust for thrust and stroke for stroke, until he couldn’t go any faster, and felt like his whole body would break. His own orgasm was a relief and Elik swallowed his cry of happiness as he spilled his come all over Nikolaj’s hand. 

“My Lord,” Elik moaned as he broke the kiss, and let his head fall on Nikolaj’s shoulder. 

“Your sister is right; you can’t call me ‘Lord’ any more. When you are King of Quhjan, you can call me Nikolaj. And when we are married properly, you will call me Nikolaj.”

Elik moved back so he could look at him. “And if I want to call you Lord?” he asked cheekily. Nikolaj’s cock pulsed enthusiastically and Elik chuckled. “Someone agrees with me.”

“Darling,” he grinned. You are impossible, he wanted to say, but a knock on the door cut him off. “Just a moment,” he shouted. 

He removed his hand off Elik’s trousers and got up to bring the jug of water so he could wash them. As he walked, he realized what he was doing. “We need to leave, darling. If we stay a little longer here, I will forget why we have servants.”

Elik laughed. He handed an unused piece of bandage to Nikolaj. “Or, maybe we should stay here for a little longer so you could see why we don’t need servants.”

He wet the cloth before cleaning his hands and his cock first, and then Elik’s. “No, sorry, darling. I’d rather have servants.”

Elik glanced outside. “If we were here in spring, it would be nice to stay longer. The earth is green, the sky is blue.” He sighed. “I would have loved to show you the fields where I learned how to ride a horse, and the forests where I learned which berries you can eat.”

Nikolaj sat down again and hugged him. “We will come back in the spring, then, darling. Come in,” he shouted. 

Lady Irina opened the door and peeked inside, smiling. “Supper will be ready in an hour, so I brought more tea.” She pushed the door open with her elbow. “Councilman Grigorief said it is best to hold the coronation tomorrow morning, if you agree,” she said as she placed the tray with the new pot and one more cup on the table. 

Nikolaj nodded. 

“I’ll let him know. Rest, Eli. I’ll come get you when the food is done.” She hugged him and Elik hugged her back. When she parted from him, she made a little sad noise. “See you soon.”

“She loves you very much,” Nikolaj remarked once she had left. “Would you like her to come live with us?”

Elik looked at him shocked. “Irina can come stay with us?”

“It’s not like we don’t have space,” Nikolaj laughed, caressing Elik’s hair. “You can ask her, and if she agrees, she can come with us.”

Elik closed his eyes and let his head drop on Nikolaj’s shoulder again. 

“Hey, no sleeping.”

“I’m not sleeping, I’m resting.”

Nikolaj shook him a little. “Why don’t you tell me why Radu hated you so?”

Elik sighed deeply. “Must I?”

“No, but I would like to know.”

“I don’t really know.”

“Hm.” For some reason, he didn’t believe that. 

Elik lowered himself on Nikolaj’s lap and curled around him. Nikolaj started petting the top of his head. “When we were children, we were best friends. We would play all day long in the summer, every summer. We joined the army together, and when I was injured at the battle of Kiskun, he’s the one who brought me to safety. And then… He asked me not to go to you, and I told him ‘no’. I had never told him ‘no’ before. I don’t think he liked it. I know he never forgave me,” he sighed.

Nikolaj bit his lips. “He must have loved you very much to hate you so much.”

“Love?” Elik opened his eyes and stared at him. “No,” he laughed, “No, no, he never loved me. We were just friends.”

Nikolaj just smiled. His darling was so clever, but still so innocent. Just how young was he? 

Elik closed his eyes again, snorting. “Radu, loving me. My Lord has such strange ideas.” He sighed again. "After I told him 'no', we argued. He called me a traitor to Quhjan for leaving." He huffed. "If he were my friend, he would have understood why I was leaving. Some friend he was." He looked at Nikolaj through half-opened eyes. "How could he love me when he couldn't even understand me?" He closed his eyes again. 

Nikolaj did not correct him. He nudged him. “No sleeping, darling.”

“Not sleeping, resting.” Elik winked at him. “I know, I’ll sing to you so you know I’m resting. There was a tree, an apple tree,” he started singing softly. “Green, green tree with bright red fruits. There was a fruit, a red, red fruit. On a tree, green, green tree. Sweet red fruit, you smell so sweetly. On the green, green tree. So high on the tree. How can I reach you? Sweet red fruit, on the green, green tree.”

&*&*

Nikolaj stepped up on the dais and sat on the same seat from where he had watched his darling kill his old friend. He didn’t like it, but thinking of how much worse it must have been for Elik, having to go up that platform that still had blood stains to get crowned, made him conscious of how lucky he was. 

Lady Irina walked behind him, small and solemn in a long, red dress. When he sat down, she took her seat next to him. A moment later, she took his hand again and squeezed. 

He smiled at her. Like her brother, she was young, but possessing great dignity and many skills. 

“Eli said that you will go back to your home next,” she whispered.

“Yes, we will.” He leaned down as if he wanted to tell her a secret, and she came closer. “I want to marry Elik properly according to my people’s customs,” he told her, “and I would like a spring wedding, so the shrine can be decked with so many flowers, Elik will think we’re in a garden.”

Her eyes shone. “That will be so beautiful. Eli will like that.”

“I hope so,” he nodded seriously. He had given orders about how he wanted things to be even before they had left for their journey to Quhjan, and the day before, he’d sent confirmation to Mark that they could go through with all their plans. He was so lucky his best friend had never fallen in love with him. If Mark’s friendship ever turned to hate and treason, he would be sad to kill him. “You are invited, of course,” he told Irina. “And, if you want, you come home with us now.”

“Yes, Eli told me.” She looked towards the platform, biting her lips. “I don’t know what to do. This is my home, and who will take care of our house and our people if I leave?” She shuddered. “But these last months without Eli were horrible.” For a moment, Nikolaj was scared that Lady Irina would hug him and start crying, but she just squeezed his hand and squared her shoulders. “I need to stay here.” She gave him a proud smile. “I will come for the wedding, but my people need me.”

Nikolaj lifted her hand and kissed it. 

She made a face and wiped her palm on her dress even though his lips hadn’t even touched her skin. “That was weird. Don’t do it again.”

Nikolaj laughed loudly. She was so capable and full of pride and dignity that it was easy to forget she was still a child. 

He focused his attention to the platform, trying to calm himself. Unlike the day before, the fence on its edge it had been decorated with wreaths of ivy and holly tied with red ribbons. “It is the winter solstice today, isn’t it?”

“Yes. That is when the challenges for the king’s crown were held in the past,” Lady Irina told him. 

He nodded. At home, they had a ball for the winter solstice. Everyone came dressed in their finest, there was mistletoe hanging from the ceiling and everyone had to kiss and fuck to celebrate the end of winter. Even husbands and main wives could fuck openly during the winter solstice ball. It was his favourite event of the year. 

The single call of a trumpet made everyone fall silent. 

“All Hail King Elik Alexandrov,” the Master of Ceremonies shouted when it was quiet. 

Nikolaj couldn’t help but smile. His darling looked splendid in a white mantle lined with ermine as he walked towards the platform, his hair falling like flames on his back. Grigorief and the other Councilmen looked like crows behind him in their black cloaks. He didn’t like them. 

Elik climbed up at the stairs and stood at the middle of the platform, the Councilmen arranging themselves in a half-circle around him. 

Two servants appeared next, bringing a covered tray up. They knelt in front of Elik, and raised the tray. Grigorief lifted the cover, revealing the cut head of Radu, a circle of golden plaques studded with gems on his head. No one had cleaned him; a gashing wound was in the place of his left eye, and his cheeks, nose and mouth were all bloody. 

Nikolaj felt like throwing up a little. No wonder they had the challenges in the middle of the winter if they needed to preserve the head for the coronation. 

Grigorief and the other Councilmen knelt. “The crown of Quhjan.”

Elik took it off Radu’s head and lifted it. “I take the burden gladly,” he said as he put it on his head. 

Everyone started stomping their feet and cheering. The servants put the tray down and knelt in front of Elik. 

Elik lifted his head a little and looked at him. 

Nikolaj nodded. If this would stop idiots from challenging his darling in the future, he would do it. 

Eik raised his hand and everyone fell quiet. “Your Imperial Majesty.”

Nikolaj stood up and started walking down the dais, his guards before and after him. No one spoke, or moved, though. He was still their conqueror, and they all knew it. He climbed the stairs to the platform, and smiled as Elik gestured for the servants to take the tray away with Radu’s head away, which they did immediately. His smile grew wider as he stood in front of his darling. 

His darling smiled back, but his expression turned serious almost immediately. “Nikolaj, son of Ivan, will you marry me and share this burden with me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Two servants Nikolaj hadn’t noticed came forward with another tray. He hoped that didn’t have any more body parts. He wouldn’t put it past them, even though Elik had explained to him how the ceremony was conducted. 

Grigorief stood up and uncovered that too. He picked up a small wreath of ivy and holly, but tied with a white ribbon and lifted it. Elik took Nikolaj’s left hand in his right and moved them inside the wreath. 

Unlike them, the Quhjani made no vows of sharing property and taking care of each other. They just stared at each other, as Grigorief lifted a small loaf of bread. With their free hands, Nikolaj and Elik cut a piece, dipped it in salt and fed each other. They continued staring as Grigorief filled a cup with red wine and gave it to Elik first and then to Nikolaj. It was a surprisingly sweet wine, and its taste replaced that of the salt immediately. Finally, they stared at each other as Grigorief removed the wreath that tied their hands together. 

“Now we are married?” he whispered. 

“Yes,” Elik whispered back. 

“Can I kiss you?”

“We don’t kiss in public, I told you.”

He rolled his eyes backwards. 

Elik stifled a chuckle. “Please, you’re too tall,” he told him in the same quiet voice. 

Nikolaj smirked as he knelt in front of his darling. He admired the sight of his shapely legs in white leather boots for a moment and then he looked up. 

Elik smiled again. He took the crown off his head and showed it to the people. “This crown is mine, and it is only right that I share this with my husband, the conqueror of Quhjan.” He placed it on Nikolaj’s head. “Rise, Nikolaj, son of Ivan, Emperor of the Bosilik, and King of Quhjan.”

Nikolaj did. It was heavier than it looked; it must have been solid gold. He wore it for a few seconds and then lifted it off him. “Quhjan has ruled itself well for hundreds of years without a king.” He handed the crown to Grigorief. “Take this crown and keep it safe for Us,” he said, glancing at his darling, and seeing Elik nod at him with approval. “Quhjan can rule itself under the guidance of its Council, for as long as you keep this crown safe and there is an Empire of Bosilke to protect its lands.”

The crowd erupted in the loudest cheers Nikolaj had ever heard. Up to that point, everything had been scripted, and Nikolaj and Elik had written and rewritten his little speech several times until they were happy with it, but the crowd’s reaction was genuine. It filled Nikolaj with the same joy as when he’d progressed into the streets of his capital after a successful campaign. 

Elik took his hand again. “Thank you, My Lord,” he whispered. 

Nikolaj corrected himself. No, the joy he’d felt as he made a victorious march was more like the feeling he had when he looked at the happy expression of his darling, seeing his darling stare at him with pride and devotion and joy. “I don’t care you don’t kiss in public,” he smirked as he leaned down and kissed his darling on the mouth. 

Despite his words, his darling didn’t care either. Hips lips parted under his immediately and for a few moments, Nikolaj couldn’t hear the roar of the crowd over the pounding of his heart. His life and that of his darling’s were now joined, with the people of Quhjan as witnesses. He couldn’t wait until they were home, and show his own people that he had found his one and only Empress.


	12. Fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave up trying to think of a suitable title for the chapter....

Travelling back to the capital took just as long as going to Jedlowa, and the trip was just as tedious, but Nikolaj could not have wished for anything else. He and his darling spent most of the trip wrapped under the same furs, cuddling together in his carriage. They spent long hours talking and kissing and pleasing each other with their hands in the first few days of the journey, and then, becoming more and more adventurous as Elik’s bruises faded. 

Whenever they passed through a town, he rode his horse and waved dutifully at the people, while his darling rode behind him, smiling at everyone. Whenever they stayed at a town or a lord’s estate, Nikolaj demanded that his darling was honoured in just the same way as he was. By the time they were back in the capital, everyone expected the announcement of their wedding, and when it happened, no one was surprised by it. 

Nikolaj felt quite pleased with himself. “You should have seen it, My Lords," he finished recounting his darling's duel to the first council since his return. "His Highness is fierce with the sword, and the dagger.”

“That will be useful in the next war, Your Majesty,” Pavel muttered. 

Nikolaj froze. No matter how ferocious his darling was when fighting, he much preferred it when his darling wrapped himself around him, and kissed him, and…

“We shouldn’t talk of war when we are preparing His Majesty’s wedding,” Mark said. 

“Indeed,” Nikolaj agreed, thinking that there was no point day-dreaming about his darling in the Council meeting when he would see him soon. “How are the plans for it going?”

“Everything is in place, Your Majesty. The Empress’s rooms have been redecorated and the Palace of Serene Joy has been prepared for His Highness.”

“Good, good. What other news are there? Any news you dared not commit to writing?”

Mark and Pavel shared a look. Adam cleared his throat. “A small insurrection at the north. Nothing of great importance. The ringleaders have been apprehended and they will be executed after Your Majesty’s wedding.”

Ah, that custom that nothing unpleasant should happen before a wedding. He nodded. “Anything else?” He stood up. “If that is all, then I will go have lunch.” He grinned and motioned for Mark to stay behind after his other Ministers left. “His Highness has taken up cooking as his latest hobby, and he has prepared my meal. He has cooked dishes native to his country that will satisfy all my cravings, or so he says,” he confided in him.

Mark raised an eyebrow. 

“My tester will try it first, fear not, Mark,” he laughed. “As far as I’m concerned, His Highness can have his weird pastimes, as long as he acts the part of an Empress in public.”

Mark smiled. “You misunderstand me. I was just thinking that Emperor Fyodor was the last emperor who married for love, Your Majesty, and had such a loving wife.”

Nikolaj snorted. “I marry him for love, yes, but he…” He sighed, still smiling. “He’s grateful, Mark, and tries to please, as he always did.” 

“Only women who are happy with their husbands cook for them in Quhjan. My wife said so, because His Highness told her so.”

Nikolaj felt a strange fluttering in his heart. Almost two months ago, his darling’s sister had claimed that Elik loved him. Now Mark said that only happily married wives cooked, and what wife could be happily married unless she loved her husband? Could his darling be trying to tell him something? He shook his head. “When he loves me, he will tell me so. Until then, I will love him and wait for him to love me back.”

Mark studied him. “He still makes you happy, doesn’t he? Nikolaj?” Mark even used his name, something he did only when he wanted to reassure him that he asked as his friend. Something he always did when he was worried for him. 

“He does,” he nodded. “Even if all I had in the world was a bed, I would be happy if Elik shared it with me. I’ve never had a better fuck, Mark. Never.”

“You really marry him because he fucks well?” Mark shook his head. “Nikolaj, you had mentioned that before but I thought were joking.”

“It’s the truth. He is a good fuck.” He suddenly hit Mark on the back of the head, without putting any strength behind it. “But no one marries his main wife because she fucks well,” he grinned, although that was a really important reason too. “He does make me happy, Mark. That’s why I’m marrying him. In fact,” he finally decided to reveal the true reason he wanted to talk to Mark, “One of the things that make me happy about him is how well-read and clever he is. I was thinking, what if I gave him a seat at the Council?”

Mark’s eyes widened. “Your Majesty. Leaving aside the fact that no one would like to have their wife come to the Council meetings (which they would, if the Empress were to have a seat), if you did that, everyone would think you are being unduly influenced by him and that you listen to him.”

“People will say that he influences me in the bedroom, anyway, especially since I do talk to him in there. Doesn’t it make more sense if he is in the Council so you can hear his thoughts, and disagree with him directly?”

“Your Majesty shouldn’t be talking to His Highness about affairs of the state in the first place,” Mark protested.

Nikolaj looked at him. “Like you don’t talk about them with Lady Ekaterina? Or, like we didn’t talk about them, when I made him king of Quhjan?”

Mark grinned. “Yes, exactly like that. Let me sound the other ministers, Your Majesty. I shouldn’t keep you any longer. Go to His Highness and try his dishes. After the tester tries it. And do not talk to him about state affairs.”

Nikolaj only stopped laughing when he reached his darling’s rooms. Count Rasoulin greeted him in the first audience room, busy over a stack of papers.

“His Highness keeping you busy?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. This is today’s correspondence.”

“Is half or all of it from Quhjan?”

“Only half today, Your Majesty.”

Grinning, and shaking his head, Nikolaj went into the second room. In his private suite, this was also an audience room, reserved for close friends and associates. His darling had changed it into a small and intimate dining room, with a table already set for two and his tester trying the first of the dishes, to the obvious disapproval of his darling. 

He walked up to Elik and kissed him on the cheek. “You know it must be done,” he whispered to him as he pushed him down to his seat. 

“I know,” Elik actually pouted, “But I cooked everything in the kitchen, with the help of the cooks and with two guards behind my back. How could anyone try to poison these dishes?”

He sat down. “This is the protocol, darling.”

The tester bowed. “All is well, Your Majesty,” he said seriously, and then left, leaving them alone in the room. 

The servants brought forward the basin, another poured water over his hands and a third towelled them dry. 

“What did you make for me, darling?”

“Dumplings, soup with meatballs and potatoes, and, for dessert, honey cake.”

“You made all these?”

Elik nodded proudly. “With help.”

He wouldn’t ask with how much help. Instead, he let Elik serve him two of the dumplings. “And these are all traditional Quhjani dishes?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

He shook his head. “Darling,” he said, trying to look disappointed, “You promised to be an Empress for all the people of my Empire.”

“And I will be,” Elik smiled sweetly. “Once I am that. For now, I am still King of Quhjan.”

“And a devoted Quhjani wife.”

Elik blushed. “Yes, My Lord.”

“What? You don’t like it when I call you my ‘wife’?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then?” 

Elik took the dumpling from Nikolaj’s plate and brought it to his lips. Nikolaj opened his mouth and bit into it. The shell had a satisfying crispiness that combined well with the soft filling inside. “Hm?” he mumbled as he chewed, trying to figure out what he was eating. There was garlic and onions and… mushrooms? 

“A wife has a husband, right?”

He nodded, grabbed the rest of the dumpling from Elik’s hands and started eating. It was surprisingly good, although with more garlic than he was used to. 

“Then, once we are married according to your customs, may I call you ‘husband’, My Lord?”

Nikolaj swallowed the rest of the dumpling uneaten. “You may, my sweet.”

“And, may I also call you ‘dear’?”

He grinned. “You may, darling.”

“And…” Elik blushed again. “And other such things?”

“Any other such things you want, my sweet.” He laughed. “But why wait until our second wedding? Or is it the third? Am I not your husband already? You may call me whatever you wish, whenever you wish.”

The colour that stained Elik’s cheeks spread down to his throat. “Thank you, My Lord.” He offered him the second dumpling, staring at him as if he was trying to decide something. As Nikolaj opened his mouth, Elik seemed to make up his mind. He pulled back. “This week I learned these recipes from home to please you, My Lord. Next week, after we are married, I will cook a dish from here.”

“Can you make meat jelly? And sweet pancakes?”

“Of course, My Lord.”

“I love meat jelly, but the cooks don’t make it often.” He took another of the dumplings. “At the meeting today, I was told that everything is ready for our big day. So, I was thinking, how would you like a seat at the Council as a wedding gift?”

“Your Majesty,” Elik shouted, looking more scandalized than ever before. “If you do that, everyone will say I am trying to influence you.”

“But you already do,” he smiled. 

Elik looked like he didn’t believe him. “You will be censured, My Lord,” he protested again. 

“I don’t care.”

“I do.” Elik poured him some wine. “My Lord, people already talk of my unsuitability to be your consort.”

Nikolaj frowned. 

“I am not deaf, My Lord. Not to the gossip that concerns you. I know I cannot stop people from gossiping, but if my conduct is beyond reproach, then some will stop, and some may even approve of My Lord’s choice.”

“People will gossip no matter what we do.”

“I know. Still, why make it easier for them?” Elik smiled. “I have been reading up on your laws and customs, and Lady Ekaterina has been offering me her insight into the workings of the court. I hope to be a good Empress to you and your… no, our people, and a good Empress has no place in the Council.”

Nikolaj shook his head. First Mark, now his darling. “I have been outvoted,” he grinned. “Fine, my sweet, as you wish.” He watched as Elik bit into one of the dumplings. “What can I give you, then, as a wedding gift?” 

“Something that would make the people happy. All the people happy.”

“Like what?”

“Like equal rights to all the people of their empire, regardless of whether they were originally of Bosilke, or conquered.”

Nikolaj stared at Elik. “I cannot do that. Ask for something else.”

Elik stared at him blankly. “I can’t think of something else, My Lord,” he said politely. 

His darling would have made a good diplomat. Or maybe a gambler. But he was such an innocent. “Well, when you do, tell me. Darling, can I try the soup now?”

“Oh, yes, My Lord.” Elik served him immediately. 

“My country is not Quhjan, my sweet,” he said softly. “If I freed the slaves, the lords would rebel. If I made the conquered people equal to my own, my people would rebel. Your ideas are noble, darling, but they could never be applied here.”

Elik nodded after studying him for a few moments. “I understand.” He smiled at him. “Then I will think hard for something else that would be of benefit.”

“People say you are only interested in Quhjani affairs,” he said. He too was not deaf to the gossip about him – or his darling. “Maybe think of something that would benefit the Bosilik, my people.”

Elik lowered his head. “I will do so, My Lord. Thank you for the advice.”

He tried the soup. “It is delicious. Thank you, darling.”

Elik looked up and smiled at him. “I am glad it is to your liking.” He paused for a moment. “Husband.”

Nikolaj dropped his spoon. “Darling,” he whispered. Finally. Perhaps his sweet did love him back? 

“Husband,” Elik repeated it. 

The word sounded even sweeter the second time, stirring desire inside him. “Darling, I would rather move straight to dessert now.”

Elik raised his hand, motioning to one of the servants to bring it.

“Not that dessert.” He got up, pulling Elik with him. 

“My Lord,” his darling chuckled. 

“Call me ‘husband’, my sweet,” he asked as he led Elik to the bedroom. 

“Husband,” Elik said more loudly, closing the door behind them.

Nikolaj pushed his darling against the closed door, kissing him deeply. He wished he had thought to make a decree that clothes in their suites were optional, instead of fumbling with laces and buttons. He broke the kiss so he could laugh. 

His darling took the opportunity to slip out of his arms and continue stripping, throwing his clothes on the floor. 

“Are you sure?” he asked as he saw that Elik was determined to be completely naked.

“We were going riding afterwards, weren’t we? I would have changed clothes for that. Unless we are not going?”

“We are, darling.”

Elik smiled slowly as he lowered his breeches and undergarments together and all he was wearing were his stockings. He sat on the bed and slid them off his legs hastily. Then he lay down on his stomach, raised himself on his elbows, and grinned at him. “Lady Ekaterina gave me more advice yesterday.”

That woman was incredible. “Really?”

Slowly, Elik rolled over and shimmied down, so that, even though he was lying down, his head was hanging freely off the bed. “She said, this would be easier for you to fuck my throat.”

“But would it be easier for you?”

“How can I know before trying?”

Nikolaj narrowed his eyes. Cheeky thing, he grinned as he removed the last of his clothes. “Let’s try it, then,” he replied enthusiastically, cock bobbing happily against his stomach. He walked to Elik and caressed his face. “You are so beautiful.”

Elik looked up at him, smiling. “So are you.” He took hold of Nikolaj’s cock and guided it towards his lips. “I will never grow used to how big you are everywhere,” he told him admiringly before opening his mouth. His lips closed around the head and put pressure around the crown as he licked the top furiously and caressed the base with his fingers. 

Nikolaj held himself still as Elik took him in slowly in his mouth. His darling spread out before him, his slender, toned body trembling with desire, his beautiful cock rising proudly and shivering untouched, was such a beautiful sight. Too beautiful, in fact; Nikolaj wanted to touch him, so he did. He reached down and teased his darling’s nipples with his fingertips.  
Elik gasped in response, and the sound caressed Nikolaj’s dick. He thrust inside his darling without thinking, and then pulled out. “Darling, move.”

“Excuse me?”

“I have another idea, but I want you lying on the bed fully.”

Smiling, Elik shifted. He looked at him questioningly and Nikolaj grinned as he climbed on the bed and sat with his legs splayed on either side of his darling’s head. He winked as he lowered himself so that he could take Elik’s cock into his mouth. Yes, this was the second sweetest part of his darling, he though. Or the third? He wondered for the thousandth time as Elik’s lips closed around his dick again. 

Not that it mattered; everything about his darling was wonderful. His cock, his legs, the sensitive skin inside his knees, his toes. Nikolaj couldn’t stop touching him as he sucked him furiously, delighting in his scent and his warmth and his pulse and his silken strength. He couldn’t stop thrusting inside his sweet’s hot, tight mouth either. His darling’s tongue, wrapped around his dick, drove him crazy. 

Abandoning all sense of restrain, Nikolaj took his pleasure in his darling’s body, touching, sucking, being sucked, being touched. His desire could not be stopped, it burned inside him, and made him tremble, demanding an outlet. He pulled away from his darling and screamed as his body locked for a moment, and his seed exploded out of him. A moment later his darling’s hot come fell on his face, surprising him. 

He shifted and fell next to his darling. “Sorry, I thought I…” that he'd have time to take his sweet in his mouth before he came. 

Elik put his hand over his mouth, stopping him. He caressed him next, effectively spreading his come on Nikolaj’s face.

For a few moments they lay quiet, breathing deeply. “Now I feel like having the other dessert,” Nikolaj grinned. He reached for the bell that was on the table next to the bed. 

“Wait,” Elik stopped him. He leaned on his elbow, studied him and then lowered himself over him, and licked his come off Nikolaj’s face with small swipes of his tongue. 

Despite having just come, his cock showed enthusiasm. Nikolaj caressed himself gently, shivering. He may have trained his darling how to take his cock, but he had never taught him how to tease like that. 

Once finished, Elik looked at him again. “Am I clean?”

Even though he was, Nikolaj still pulled him down. He sucked his darling’s lips for long moments and then parted them, demanding a deep kiss so he could clean the rest of the non-existent come stains. “Now you are,” he smiled when he was satisfied. 

“Thank you. Husband.” Elik put his arms around Nikolaj’s neck and let his head rest on Nikolaj’s chest. “Now you can call for dessert.”

Nikolaj reached again and this time he rang the bell. He played with his darling’s hair as he ordered the servants to bring them cake and tea. Any day that he could have two sweets one after the other was a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they talk a lot but I prefer to write the fluff and smut between them... sorry....


	13. How do you solve a problem like Elik's anxiousness?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elik and the exposition fairy are best friends by now....

His Lord pulled out of Elik and fell back on the bed. Elik felt so empty for a moment. He’d really gotten used to being taken by that giant of a man. Even when he felt discomfort, the passion and joy of being in His Lord’s embrace, and _that place_ inside him that burned brightly whenever His lord hit it the right way, made him forget about it. There was one thing, though, that made that emptiness bearable, so Elik put one leg over His Lord’s, wound his arms around His Lord’s neck, and lay his head on his broad chest. His Lord put his left arm over Elik’s waist, and with his right hand he started caressing his back. 

“I think I know what I want for a wedding gift,” Elik whispered over His Lord’s heart. He smiled. His Lord was his husband now. He could call him that. “Husband.” 

It still felt strange to call him that, even though His Lord had given him permission. According to Bosilik law, he was still a war-caught wife with a master who had absolute power over his life. Even now, that his position was more secure than ever, he still felt that he was on his own in that huge palace, with only His Lord guarding his back.

He shivered and His Lord covered him with a blanket immediately, making Elik smile even more widely. As long as His Lord protected him, he would bear the gossip and the rumours, and he would try his best to squash them. 

“Well, what do you want, darling?”

“That’s the thing. I can’t quite decide.” He raised his head so he could look into His Lord’s dark eyes. “Would an orphanage be better? Free schooling for all the children until the age of ten? Bosilik children,” he clarified immediately. “Or a soup kitchen for the poor of the capital? What do you think is more needed, My Lord?”

His Lord frowned. “All three are needed, but…” He stopped hugging Elik. “Move, darling. I need to summon my Council.”

Elik let go of His Lord. 

His Lord smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the forehead before getting up. He rang the bell and the small army of servants came in to help him get ready for the day. “I promise I will think about it. I will give you my answer by lunch time. Is that acceptable, darling?”

Elik nodded. He stood up. “I will have my bath now,” he said, more so that the servants knew that they would only need to dress him, than for His Lord. 

His Lord kissed him. “Till lunch time, darling.”

“Till lunch time, My Lord.”

“Call me ‘Husband’,” His Lord whispered to him. “Till lunch time.”

“Till lunch time, My Lord,” he said, bowing deeply before leaving the room, His Lord’s loud, amused laughter warming his heart. 

&*&*

Count Rasoulin was waiting for him in the inner audience room when he walked out of the bedroom. For a moment Elik stared at him, and then remembered that no one of lower rank could address him before he addressed them. Bosilik laws were designed to make life complicated; he was certain of that. His status as war-caught wife afforded him few rights, and yet his rank bound him to the strictest protocol. “Good morning, Count.”

Count Rasoulin bowed his head. “Your Imperial Highness, you have a guest.” He motioned with his hand and the guards opened the doors behind him.

His sister walked in. She looked confused, but the moment she saw him, she ran to him. Elik hadn’t even realized he had been running to her until she hugged him and he hugged her back. 

“Thank you,” he mouthed to Count Rasoulin. 

The man smiled and left them alone.

“Let me look at you,” he said as he sat cross-legged on the floor. Irina was taller than the last time he’d seen her, but still as slender, and she had tried to tame her hair in two braids that fell on either side of her face. “You just arrived?”

“Yes. It was a very long trip, Eli.”

He nodded. “Do you want to rest? If you do, then I can study, and then we can all have lunch.”

“What are you studying for now?” She laughed. 

Elik got up and showed her the two heavy books on his desk. “This,” he said lifting the first and giving it to her, “Is the Book of Purple. It has the names of all the noble families of the empire. I need to learn who is who now that I will be meeting them.” 

Irina studied it and then opened it. 

He looked at her, trying not to sigh. When he’d first arrived at Ivanhof, he had no such concerns; all he had needed to know was that His Lord was his absolute Master, and everyone else was either free and above him, or a slave and below him. After His Lord had bestowed his rank, he only needed to know who was above him, and not many were. Now, he needed to know who everyone was, for an Empress could slight no one. Well, an Empress, or rather a Consort of Imperial Rank, as his official title would be, could, but he would not be that kind of royal. 

She put it down. “And this?” she asked, touching the other heavy book.

“This is the Book of Conduct. It says how one must behave according to their rank and status.” Another thing he hadn’t to worry about before; his rank was high, but his status was low, therefore he did just what His Lord commanded. He sighed. Life was simpler as His Lord’s glorified concubine, but also so precarious. Was he to be blamed that he had chosen to make his life better once he knew that he could also make the life of his people better? 

“It’s a good thing you like studying, then,” Irina said seriously. 

He smiled. “That is true. So, what do you want to do?”

She looked around, her gaze stopping at the guards by the door and the pages at the other side of the room. “I want to wash up. It really was a very long trip, Eli.”

“And then?”

“I really want to see your home.”

Elik laughed. “This is my home. These rooms.”

“Really?”

He nodded. 

She looked at him skeptically. “I thought that your home would be bigger, since you’re married to the Emperor.”

“It is a big home, compared to what others have in the Palace. I have three rooms and a bath. Most courtiers only have one room, and slaves have no rooms of their own. They sleep in the basement in really big halls.” He smiled tightly at Irina. He didn’t care what His Lord thought; once he was Consort of Imperial Rank, he would make life for Palace slaves better, since he couldn’t free them.

“Our home is bigger,” she continued. “He’s not much of an emperor, if he can’t give you a bigger house than the one you had before. Eli, you should come home with me. Your husband is not worthy of you.”

Elik noticed how the pages at the other side of the room looked horrified, and trying hard to school their expressions to polite blankness. One of them glanced anxiously at the guard at the left. He knelt down so he could hug Irina again. “He is the best of husbands, Irina, and I am very grateful for what he has given me,” he said loudly.

She opened her mouth. 

Elik lifted her up before she could speak. “Time for you to wash up, Irina,” he laughed.

One of the guards opened the door to his bedroom.

The moment they were alone, truly alone, he put Irina down and knelt so he could look her in the eyes. “Irina, you can’t say anything bad about His Majesty again. Not here,” he whispered.

“Why not?”

“Because…” He took a deep breath. He was tempted to lie to her for a moment. “There are people here who don’t like me. When they find out – and believe me, Irina, they will – what you said, they will spread rumours about me. Bad rumours. If these rumours get really bad,” he sighed. 

Irina shook her head. “Words can’t hurt people.”

How innocent she was. He too had been so naïve once, but ever since they had come back from Jedlowa, he had become more observant of the people around him. The little kitchen slaves, the grooms tending to his horse, the tailor's and the shoemaker's assistants, his pages, they all had become his extra pairs of eyes and ears around Ivanhof, and what they told him, made him worry. From ministers who thought he was influencing His Lord too much, courtiers who thought he only cared for his homeland, to noble men and women who wished they could share His Lord’s bed and thus gain riches and titles, there were so many powerful people at the palace who meant to harm him. The slaves liked him, all his informants said, but how could they help him? 

“I mean it, Irina. These are people who would like to see me dead. They will use any mistake I make to make His Majesty hate me or put His Majesty in such a position that he will have no choice but to punish me with or put me to death.”

Irina hugged him. “You’re scared of your husband,” she whispered. “That’s not right, Eli.”

Perhaps Irina was right; perhaps more than his enemies, he was scared of His Lord and how absolute his power was over him. What was he, without His Lord’s warmth and affection, in his grand palace? He shivered. “It is what it is, Irina,” he whispered back.

Irina started trembling, and Elik hugged her more tightly, cradling her head against his chest. “It’s not that bad, it really isn’t.” He pulled back a little so he could face her again, and she could see he was smiling honestly. “As long as he loves me, and I am careful, nothing bad will happen.”

“And if he stops loving you?”

“If I am careful, then the worst thing he will do is stop sharing my bed when he stops loving me. If I make mistakes, then he will probably put me in prison or send me to exile. It’s not that easy to execute an imperial consort,” he reassured Irina, even though he knew it could be done, and under what charges. 

Irina started crying. “I don’t want him to put you to prison. Come home with me, Eli.”

He found his handkerchief and gave it to Irina. “I can’t.”

She wiped her nose. “Why?” 

“Because, right now he loves me and I love him back. I don’t want to come back home, Irina. I miss my home, but I love him more than that.”

She sniffled once and studied him for a few minutes. Finally, she smiled at him. “Alright then, if you love him that much. And if you stop loving him, I will be at home to welcome you back.”

“So, you won’t stay here with me?”

“No. Your home is not even as big as our home, and you have so many people doing nothing around. Why were these two standing there, just looking? Idle hands lead to wagging tongues. Eli, you should put them to work if you are so worried about them.”

He nodded and let her go. “The bath is there,” he pointed towards a closed door.

“Thanks. Think about what I said, Eli.” She went into the bath, but kept the door open. She peeked out a second later. “I came in a coach so big, even you could fit under the seat. I can smuggle you out, if you want.”

“No need for that. I told you, I want to stay here with my husband.”

She shrugged and closed the door behind her. 

Elik sat on the floor. She had a point. He did have too many people around who waited for him to command them. How could he tell Irina that this was their work, to wait upon his pleasure? Even worse, how could he tell her, that what he’d made them do was gather rumours and lies, and bring them to him? For how else could he guard himself against the falsehoods of others, and be prepared to defend himself if need be? 

With a sigh, he got up and went out. Lady Ekaterina was waiting for him, dressed in pale blue clouds of silk. He bowed to her. As the wife of the Chancellor, she was one the few who outranked him, so he waited for her to speak. 

“Your Imperial Highness,” she smiled. 

“My Lady.” 

She took a seat. “Ready for today’s lesson?”

“Not really.” He sat down, smiling. “But I am grateful for your instruction, as always.”

“The rehearsal is tomorrow, is it not?”

He nodded. “And the final fitting of my garments. It will be a long day.”

“Better a long day tomorrow than a mistake during your wedding.”

“I agree.” He put his hand on the Book of Purple. “I think I have memorized the ranks and lands of those who are invited for the ceremony, but I will go over them again tomorrow.”

“Good.” She smiled gently. “Remember, the Master of Ceremonies will announce everyone as they are presented to you. All you need to do is remember that. I usually try to associate a person with something specific. For example, when I was first presented to you, I thought to myself, ‘His Imperial Highness with the lovely red hair,’ over and over. No other Imperial prince has hair like yours.”

How kind she was to pretend not to remember that the first time she had seen him he was bound and naked like a whore. How strange it was that his status bothered him so much more at that point when it was about to change, than before their trip to Quhjan. Was the brief taste of freedom he'd had there, that had reminded him of what he had lost, what had changed him? Or was it reading about all the previous Empresses, and how pure and unsullied they all were, coming free of any stain to their reputation to their marriage beds? “Thank you for the advice. I will try it today and tomorrow.”

She smiled again. “In three days, you will be His Majesty’s Consort of Imperial Rank. You will outrank everyone. Even if you make mistakes, they will forgive them.”

No, they will pretend they do, and never forget them, he was tempted to tell her. Instead, he smiled. “My Lady is kind.”

She grinned. “Well…” She stopped and turned to look at the door. 

Elik turned as well. His sister had half-opened it and was looking at them from the narrow gap between the two leaves. “My Lady, may I present you my sister Irina?”

Irina stepped out of the room.

“Irina, this is Her Grace, Duchess Ekaterina of Mikhanzhij, wife to His Majesty’s Chancellor.”

Irina made a curtsy. “Hello, Your Grace.”

Lady Ekaterina made an excited, soft sound. “What a lovely girl. Your Highness, your sister is exquisite.”

Irina looked at her critically. “Thank you, Your Grace. You also look…” she frowned. 

Elik glanced at her worried. 

“I have never seen anyone wear something so beautiful,” Irina said quietly as she approached Lady Ekaterina. “And your curls. How did you make your hair like that?” She reached and then pulled her hand back, glancing at Elik. “Sorry.”

Lady Ekaterina slid off her seat and settled in front of Irina. “That makes two of us. You are so very pretty. And your hair is just as lovely as His Highness’s.”

Irina blushed. 

Lady Ekaterina looked at him, smiling. “Your Highness, can we delay today’s lesson a little? I want to see what this lovely young lady will wear at the ceremony.”

Irina ran out of the room, the guards barely having enough time to open the doors for her. They heard her scream a moment later.

Elik and Lady Ekaterina ran behind her. “What is the matter?”

“My things,” Irina wailed, as she hurried from one corner of the audience room to the other. “I had left them all here and now they’re gone.”

Count Rasoulin cleared his throat. 

“Yes?”

“My Lady’s things have been moved to the room allocated to her.”

Irina turned towards the count. “My room? I won’t stay with my brother?”

Elik bit his lips. He went to her and knelt down in front of her. “Count, please have my sister’s luggage brought here so they can be inspected. Irina,” he whispered to her, “you’ve seen my rooms.”

“I’m still little. If you can fit in your rooms, so can I.”

Lady Ekaterina stifled her giggle. “That is true,” she said, “but I doubt His Majesty would appreciate that.”

Irina turned towards her. 

“His Majesty spends every night together with His Highness, and most of the afternoons. And he is very serious about fulfilling his duties as a husband.”

Elik blushed. Serious was one word for it, and Elik was just as determined that His Lord fulfilled them as often as possible. 

Irina blushed too. “I see.” She squared her shoulders. “I will stay at the room that was allocated to me. But can we eat together?”

“Yes, Irina.”

Moments later the door opened and a servant brought two small trunks. Irina ran to them, opened the first one with a key hanging from her belt and took out a long red dress. “I will wear this,” she told Lady Ekaterina as she pressed it against her chest.

“It’s beautiful,” Lady Ekaterina gushed, “but wouldn’t you like something as pretty as my dress?”

Elik frowned. He could suddenly see where Lady Ekaterina meant with her question. Irina’s best dress was fine for Quhjan, but to her, and to everyone else at court, Quhjan was a provincial, backwater place. If Irina wore that at his wedding, she would be mocked by everyone. At the same time, this was what they wore back home. Why couldn’t Irina dress like the Quhjani noblewoman that she was? Why did she have to conform to the fashions of the Palace?

Irina studied Lady Ekaterina again. “This is my best dress,” she finally said. “It’s what I wore at Eli’s coronation back home. Why can’t I wear it now?”

Lady Ekaterina looked at her shocked. “You want to wear the same dress twice?”

“Yes, why not? It has no holes. Look.” She thrust the dress forward so that Lady Ekaterina could see for herself that it was in good condition.

Lady Ekaterina continued staring as if someone had pole-axed her. 

Elik took a deep breath. “Wouldn’t you like a new dress for my new wedding, Irina? You can have something as pretty as Lady Ekaterina’s.” Something with layers of silk and taffeta that billowed when one moved, and could transform a lady into a moving cream puff, he thought a little uncharitably, and immediately felt bad. This style of dress, so popular in court, was quite pretty; it made ladies seem to float above the ground when they moved. 

Irina froze. “I see. I’m sorry. Yes, I would like a new dress, Your Grace.”

Elik felt his chest ache. He had scared Irina into agreeing to everything. What had he done? “Could it be something in the style of Irina’s old dress?” he asked Lady Ekaterina. “Or would that be too…” he sighed, unable to say the word ‘provincial’. 

Lady Ekaterina stood up. “Your Highness, I’m afraid we have to cancel today’s lesson. We have an emergency here.” She gestured to the servants. “Take Lady Irina’s things back to her room.” Then she turned to Irina. “My Lady, your dress is lovely, but here, it is bad luck to wear an old dress at a wedding.”

Irina gasped, looking at Elik. “I don’t want to bring bad luck to Eli.”

“No one wants that,” she smiled. “With your permission, Your Highness. I will see that Lady Irina has something new and beautiful for the ceremony.” 

“Can you also see that I have hair as nice as yours? Can that be done?” Irina asked as she followed Lady Ekaterina out. 

“Of course,” Lady Ekaterina smiled, turning her head back to wink at Elik. 

Elik smiled back gratefully. Perhaps he was not as alone as he thought in this palace. Perhaps he did have a friend in there. But he couldn’t be sure, could he? Shaking his head, he went back to his desk. He still had to prepare for the ceremony.


	14. Anxiety cannot be contained

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite the chapter title, this is really sugary sweet fluff.....

Nikolaj strode into the small banquet hall, vibrating with excitement. He smiled at all the courtiers who were waiting there, and his smile grew wider at the sight of his sweet at the head of the table, standing next to his sister. He hurried there. 

“I have an announcement to make,” he said when he took his seat between his darling and Lady Irina. “From next week, there will be a General Meeting of All Nobles held once a fortnight. Any noble who wants to discuss something, can send a petition directly to my Office, and the matter will be brought forward at the General Meeting.” He grinned. “There, the petitioner can present his or her case in front of his or her peers.”

“His or her?” His Chancellor asked, as if he had no idea. 

“His or her,” Nikolaj repeated. “This Meeting will be open to nobles of all ranks, and all sexes.” Everyone started murmuring and Nikolaj let them for a few moments. “It will not be a court to settle family disputes,” he said loudly when he had had enough. “But if a noble person wants to make an endowment, that will be the place to discuss it, or if they want to propose bills to change our laws. The General Meeting will not have legislative functions, but it will be an instrument for making administration better and more effective by offering a place to discuss such important matters and propose solutions to problems.”

He let his courtiers start murmuring again as he cut into the fish placed in front of him. “I can’t give you a place at the Council, my sweet,” he turned to his darling, “but if you have something to propose, now you will have a place to do it.” His expression was thoughtful. “And you should use the privilege, Elik. People will mutter less that you influence me if they see you offer your counsel in public.”

“And then you turn it down because it can’t be implemented,” his darling smiled. 

“Indeed,” Nikolaj laughed. “Don’t suggest things that are too outrageous to even be discussed. Suggest small, good things that will benefit the people,” he told him seriously, “and I will have to accept them. Propose what you want for your wedding gift to the General Meeting, and let the nobles see how you care for our people.”

“Thank you, My Lord,” Elik told him earnestly. “I will do as you advise.”

Nikolaj smiled at him. “And how is My Lady Irina?” he turned towards her. She was wearing a green long dress in the style of Quhjan, but most of her hair had been pulled back in a bun and the rest fell around her face in small ringlets, in a style that was most popular with his court ladies that season. It suited her. 

“I am fine, Your Majesty.” She smiled prettily at him. 

“I hope you like your accommodation. I personally chose the room with the best view at Ivanhof for you.”

Lady Irina looked guilty for a moment. “I have not been to my room yet, Your Majesty. I went to see Eli, and then Her Grace,” she smiled pointing towards Lady Ekaterina, “had her tailor come see me, so I could have a new dress made for Eli’s wedding.”

“Really? If Lady Ekaterina is in charge for your dress, then it will be a beautiful one. I am certain it will be as pretty as the one you wore at Jelowna.”

“I hope so, Your Majesty.”

Nikolaj had a thought. “Lady Ekaterina, please make sure that Lady Irina also has jewellery to match. And don’t forget to send me the bill. I will not accept anything else.”

“Your Majesty, I am responsible for my sister’s things,” his darling told him quietly. 

“Nonsense. If I want to make a gift of a diamond headdress to Lady Irina, then I will do so.” 

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Lady Irina and his darling said at the same time. 

Nikolaj laughed. “Did you practice that? That was cute.” He grinned at Lady Irina. “I hope you like your stay here.”

She nodded. “I know I will, Your Majesty.”

“Good, good.” 

Lady Irina touched his arm lightly. “Your Majesty?” she asked him very softly. “I need to talk to you. In private.”

Nikolaj smiled. “There’s no place more private than here. Over this noise, no one will hear you whispering.” He leaned towards her. “Speak.”

Lady Irina glanced towards her brother before turning her gaze to him. “Your Majesty, when you stop loving my brother, can he come home?”

Nikolaj froze. When? He stopped loving his darling? Was that even an option for him, to stop loving Elik at some point? 

Lady Irina did not notice his disbelief, though. “Please?”

He gave her a tight smile, not knowing how to reply to her. 

Still heedless of his emotions, Lady Irina smiled at him brightly. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Sighing, he turned towards his darling and gave him a tired smile. “Your sister is frightening.”

“My Lord?”

He shook his head. “Never mind.”

Elik caressed his arm. “She upset you. What happened?”

How well his darling knew his moods. “Nothing of importance.”

“Whatever it was,” his darling whispered in his ear, “I wish we were in private, so I could kiss you better.”

“You can kiss me openly here,” he winked. 

“Indeed, but I don’t trust myself to stop at just kissing you.” Elik sighed with the sweetest of expressions. “Kissing is never enough for me.”

For a moment Nikolaj was tempted to grab Elik and kiss him as deeply as they both wanted. He could, he knew it, but he also knew that he would be able to control himself even less than Elik and a man never fucked his main wife in public, except at the winter solstice ball. He could not degrade his future Consort of Imperial Rank. He sighed deeply in agreement. 

His darling sighed again. “Eating in public is part of Your Imperial Duties?”

“And yours too.”

The sigh that followed was even deeper. “If it weren’t, I’d get up right now, go to the nearest room, and wait for you to follow me.”

Nikolaj gulped. Yes, he may have trained his darling, but he’d definitely had not taught him how to tease. “Darling, we can leave after the third course.”

Elik smiled at that. “And then go riding?”

Fuck that. Nikolaj stood up and motioned for his darling to follow him out and into the nearest service room. 

The moment the door of the tiny room was closed, Elik was on him, kissing his collarbone and his neck. With his upper body pressed against Nikolaj’s, he undid his breeches and let them fall to the floor together with his undergarment. Then he wrapped one leg around Nikolaj’s and reached for the laces in Nikolaj’s trousers. Nikolaj grabbed his darling, turned them around, lifted Elik up and pressed him against the wall as Elik wrapped both legs around Nikolaj’s waist and his arms around Nikolaj’s neck. 

“Darling,” he breathed before kissing Elik just like he wanted, sucking on his lips until they were red and puffy and sensitive for long moments before plundering his mouth. 

His darling ground his naked cock against Nikolaj’s, showing and letting him feel how hard he was, and making Nikolaj’s dick even stiffer with need. He broke the kiss. “Wait, wait,” he panted as he untied the laces with one hand. He felt Elik reaching for the bottle inside his coat pocket. In his haste, Elik emptied it on his rigid cock, threw it on the floor and hugged his neck again.

“Just a second,” he said, wiggling until his ass was directly over Nikolaj’s cock.

“I haven’t prepared you, darling. It will hurt.”

“I will deal with that later,” Elik breathed huskily next to his mouth before biting Nikolaj’s upper lip and then drawing it between his lips for a bruising kiss. 

With one hand, Nikolaj held Elik’s thigh so he could support him better, and with the other, shaking his head with amusement at his darling’s haste, Nikolaj guided his dick inside Elik. Even though he hadn’t prepared him, Elik was still loose from their morning’s fuck. His cock slid inside his darling’s sheath like it belonged there, and Elik pressed down, welcoming him. 

Breaking the kiss and groaning, Elik took all of him inside him. He pressed his heels on the small of Nikolaj’s back. “Please, love, move.”

Nikolaj froze for a moment. No, he must have imagined it. He started thrusting inside his darling as his sweet started riding him, bouncing on his dick in exactly the same way he was bouncing on his saddle. 

“Please, please, faster, My Lord, faster,” Elik encouraged him, and how could he deny him? Holding his darling’s body as tightly as he could, Nikolaj snapped his hips furiously, responding to his darling’s need. 

“Hold on,” he suddenly said. With Elik still wrapped around him, Nikolaj lowered himself and sat kneeling on the floor. With a grin, he moved the hand that was supporting Elik’s thigh where he really wanted it, around his darling’s burning, pulsing cock. 

Elik smiled dazedly at him and kissed him deeply as he continued riding him. Nikolaj shuddered. His darling felt so good around him and in his hand, and everywhere their bodies touched, he burned. His darling squeezed him tightly suddenly; his arms, his legs, his inner channel, Elik gripped him with his whole body. As if that was that the sign he was waiting for, with one more thrust, he let himself go over the brink, spilling his seed at the same time as his darling came. 

Still wrapped around him, Elik kissed his neck. “That was very wrong, wasn’t it?” he whispered once his breath and his heartbeat were slower. 

Nikolaj chuckled. “An Emperor can do no wrong.”

“But I can,” his darling sighed. 

Nikolaj caressed his hair. “You only did this to please me. It wasn’t wrong.”

Elik’s embrace around his neck tightened again. “What did my sister tell you, My Lord?”

Nikolaj snorted. He’d thought he had avoided that discussion. 

“She’s just a child, My Lord. Please, don’t punish her.”

“Why should I punish her?”

“Whatever she said, it upset you, My Lord.” 

He smiled. “It shocked me, it did not upset me,” he corrected him. “Besides, what you just did pleased me greatly. I can’t even remember what she said.”

Elik shifted so he could look at him. “Thank you, My Lord.”

He traced Elik’s mouth with the tip of his thumb. Damn his stupid heart for wanting so much. “She asked me to let you go home with her. If you want to go with her, you can.” He tried to smile. “Not now, of course. No one runs away from a marriage with an emperor. But afterwards.”

Elik paled. “Why?” he asked him very quietly. 

“If you’re not happy with me.” Nikolaj gave up on trying to smile. “I love you, Elik. If you are happier at Quhjan, you can go.” He’d rather have his darling happy and free, than with him and miserable. What a dreadful folly his love was.

“But I already started learning how to make meat jelly, My Lord. I can’t leave now.”

His darling’s words made no sense. “What?”

Elik squared his shoulders and took a deep breath, frightening Nikolaj. “It’s so difficult to say it,” he said so softly, Nikolaj wasn’t sure he had heard it correctly. “You are still My Lord and Master, so I am scared you won’t believe me,” he said only slightly more loudly, making Nikolaj’s heart jump in his throat. “Or you will think I’m just saying it to please you. So, I tried to show it, but I clearly can’t show it well enough.” Elik took another deep breath. “I want to be with you because I love you. My home is not stones and soil and grass. My home is here, in your arms. I don’t need anything else.”

Nikolaj stayed frozen. Wasn’t this what he had asked? Why couldn’t he respond? Why was he still feeling like his heart was racing in his chest, and his body was cold? 

Elik took Nikolaj’s hand in both of his and kissed his palm. “Loving you is frightening.”

“Why, darling?”

“Because everyone says its wrong. Because I’m still your slave. Be…”

With his free left hand, Nikolaj punched the wall, shocking Elik into silence. “You’re my brave, clever husband,” he said angrily. “That’s all that matters to me, not what everyone says.” He sighed deeply. “And who says you’re my slave? Tell me, and I will have them whipped them to death.”

Elik gave him a sad smile as he took his hand again and kissed his knuckles. “Your laws.”

Nikolaj rolled his eyes upwards. “You will be my Imperial consort in three days.” 

“A consort who was your spoils of war,” Elik said bitterly. “That stain won’t go away in three days. You should have married Princess Anne,” he whispered. 

With a groan, Nikolaj pulled Elik to him and kissed him. His darling responded immediately. Truly, his darling was a flower that blossomed just for him, full of sweet juices and with a delightful scent. When he had his fill, he let him go. “I am marrying you,” he said forcefully, trying to reassure his darling.

Slowly, he pulled out of Elik and used his handkerchief to wipe himself. When he was done, he cleaned the semen running down his darling’s thighs. “Get dressed,” he said brusquely, annoyed that he could not think of a solution to the latest problem his darling had presented him.

Elik picked up his undergarment and his breeches and wore them quickly, looking miserable. 

“Is loving me such a burden?”

“No, but you were happier before I told you that. Your countenance is full of clouds, My Lord, and I need your sun. Without it, I am miserable.”

His darling was a poet at heart. Nikolaj pulled him for another kiss. “I am thinking how to make you happy, darling.”

“Smile at me, and I am glad, My Lord. It’s as simple as that.”

Nikolaj chuckled. “So you say, but a smile won’t stop you thinking that you are stained.” He needed to talk to Mark. His friend’s knowledge of the laws was extensive and deep. If there was a way, Mark would find it for him.

He hugged Elik as he guided him out of the narrow room. “You know what would make me smile?”

“No, My Lord.”

“Call me ‘husband’, and ‘dear’, and all the sweet things you want. Even in public. No, especially in public. Call me ‘love’.”

Elik blushed. 

Nikolaj started laughing. His darling could ask to be fucked harder and deeper, but could not say the word ‘love’. How funny was that? 

The moment they walked back into the banquet hall everyone started clapping. Nikolaj grinned and pressed his sweet closer to him. “My Lords and Ladies unmarried, I pray you too will find such sweet and loving partners. My Lords and Ladies married, I hope your marriage beds are as happy as mine.” He leaned down and kissed Elik on the forehead before guiding him to their seats. 

Lady Irina looked at him with a happy expression. She motioned him to lean down so she could whisper to him. 

“My Lady?”

“Now I see that my brother loves you more than home,” she said quietly. “If you ever stop loving him, and send him back to me, I will come here and punish you.”

Nikolaj looked at her. She looked fierce and he had no doubt that she would find some way to make him pay if he ever did such a dreadful thing. “We have a deal,” he told her seriously, giving her his hand. “If I hurt Elik like that, you may punish me.” 

She shook his hand, and her grip was surprisingly strong. “Good.” She let go off his hand and smiled. “Now, can we eat? The moment you left, they stopped serving us, and now I’m starving.”

Nikolaj nodded as seriously as he could. Was it the air or the tough meat that they served at Quhjan that made its people so brutally honest? He gestured at a page. “Tell my Lord Chancellor we need to talk after lunch. And,” he gestured to the servants with the trays of food standing by the door, “What are you waiting for? We’re starving here.”


	15. Pomp and circumstance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluff and ceremonies.

Mark bowed to him. “Are you ready to break another tradition, Your Majesty?”

Nikolaj grinned. “Indeed, I am.” 

He nodded and the Master of Ceremonies stepped up the stairs and knocked on the door of the Palace of Serene Joy. “His Imperial Majesty,” he declared in a loud voice. 

The people lining the street leading to the palace erupted in cheers. 

When they were quiet, the doors opened. His Highness’ Master of Ceremonies stepped out. “His Imperial Highness.”

This time there was no noise from the people, making Nikolaj worry. It was in the books that when his father had married, the crowds had been cheering and celebrating from the moment his future wife stepped out of her palace to the time she returned to Ivanhof as a crowned Empress. No matter; he was certain that someday his people would love Elik. 

Elik stepped out, looking regal in ivory-coloured garments embroidered with pearls. His hair had been tied back with ribbons and pearls. Dressed or naked, his darling always looked so beautiful, he sighed with longing. 

“I never saw such a woman,” someone from the crowd shouted. 

“What a fine Empress,” another jeered. More followed suit, laughing, shouting and whistling. 

Nikolaj raised his hand, and his guards took a step to find and apprehend those who dared insult his darling. 

“My Lord, please. It is a day of joy. If this brings them joy, then let them have it,” Elik said loudly from the top of the stairs. “Forgive their words, for my sake.”

The crowd fell silent again. Nikolaj saw how they looked curious, some even shame-faced.

“Long live the Emperor’s husband,” someone shouted. 

“Long live he,” others chanted, their cries growing louder and louder as Elik descended. 

When Nikolaj gave his hand to Elik, the cheers were deafening. 

Nikolaj smiled at Elik. “I told you they will love you when they see how sweet and kind you are.”

Elik smiled. “I would like to be worthy of their love.”

“You will be, darling.” He guided him to the coach. “Remember to wave,” he said as he stepped into it and took his seat. 

Elik sat beside him. “And smile?”

“Yes,” he said, turning towards the window, raising his hand and smiling at the people. “Wave and smile until you feel that your lips and your hand will fall off.”

“What? Lady Ekaterina did not say that.”

He laughed. “Just kidding, darling, we won’t travel that far.” With his free hand, he reached for Elik’s and entwined their fingers. “What are you thinking?”

“It’s such a beautiful day, My Lord. I think I have never seen a bluer sky.” Elik turned towards him. “And I have never seen a brighter sun.”

Nikolaj squeezed his fingers for a moment. “If I am the sun, are you the moon?” He nodded. “Yes, you are, fair and pale like that celestial orb.”

Elik frowned. “The moon waxes and wanes, but my love for you only grows. And yet, the moon cannot be without the sun. If My Lord is the sun, then I will gladly be his moon.” 

“Darling, if we weren’t on the way to the shrine, I would kiss you now.”

“Yes, one can’t kiss and smile,” Elik said, grinning cheekily. 

“Indeed, one can’t.” Nikolaj turned towards his applauding and cheering people and smiled broadly at them. He was certain, they would all learn to love his darling, and this was a good start. 

“You remember what you must do?”

“Yes, My Lord.” He squeezed Nikolaj’s fingers. 

“This is less frightening than fighting for your crown,” Nikolaj comforted him. 

His darling sighed. “Perhaps, yet it feels so. Back at Jedlowa, some people wanted me to win.”

“And here, your sister and I want your happiness.”

“I am sorry I place so much value on what others think. I do not want to see anyone turn against you for my sake.”

Nikolaj turned towards Elik, feeling a sense of immediate satisfaction at seeing Elik turn to face him at the same time. “People who want to turn against me, will do so regardless of what you do or say. I cannot waste time worrying about them, nor should you.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it,” Elik sighed. “Is that wise, My Lord?”

He grinned. “Not worrying about them? Yes. Not keeping an eye on those who would harm us? No. My sweet, the day after tomorrow I shall introduce you to my chief of the secret police, if that will reassure you that we don’t have to worry about people who might harm us.”

“Secret police?”

“Of course.” He smiled. “Not everyone who spies is against you, my sweet.”

Elik blushed. “I always knew My Lord protected me, but I had no idea to what extent.”

“Darling, I always protect my own. Look, we are here. Remember, I will go out first and then you will.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Nikolaj gave one more comforting smile to his darling, stepped out of the carriage, enjoyed the people’s cheers and then walked in front of the steps to wait for his darling. He really wanted to see his expression when he would see how the shrine was decorated. The path to the stairs was lined with a low fence with climbing roses, and garlands of spruce and oak leaves tied with wite ribbons had flowers of every imaginable colour on the fence’s top, roses peeking stubbornly behind them. Even the façade of the shine had been covered with garlands all the way from the base to the roof.

Elik did not disappoint him. His eyes opened wide at the site. “So many flowers,” he mouthed.

Nikolaj nodded. “For you,” he whispered. 

“Thank you,” Elik said just as quietly as he stood next to him. 

“Smile and wave,” he said, showing how it was done one more time, and then, giving Elik his hand, guided him up the stairs. 

“Oh,” Elik gasped at the entrance.

Nikolaj smiled. When one looked at the shrine from the front, it looked a tall, but plain, narrow building. When one looked at it from the side, or saw inside, one could see how long it really was. Portraits of previous Bosilik rulers and men and women of great renown lined its walls, and its ceiling, constructed with dark, sturdy beams, was like the upturned hull of a ship. Even though there were tall, narrow windows, most of the light came from the hanging, round metal frames holding numerous, little glass lamps. It was an impressive building where one could touch the past. 

For some reason, though, he was certain that Elik was not paying attention to the thousand little flames dancing in gold-glass lamps above his head. The decorators had exceeded his expectations. He had asked for a garden, and he had got one. There were flowers everywhere. His men had created frames from where roses of every shape and colour climbed up to meet hanging lilacs of every colour, but the best were the young, flowering apple and orange trees, their pots hidden behind garlands of oak and wildflowers, that had been placed at regular intervals from the entrance to the end of the shrine, and their sweet perfume mingled with that of incense. 

He let go of Elik and took a step forward before turning to face his darling. “This is a place of honour, where my ancestors married and got buried. A place of pride for the free people of Bosilke, where all our victories are celebrated. No slave may step inside.”

Even though the courtiers had been informed of what would happen next, they still gasped. Nikolaj was certain that they had never thought that he would acknowledge this so openly, his marriage to a war-caught bride. Even Elik paled and shivered, and he knew exactly how Nikolaj would perform his emancipation ceremony. 

Mark stepped forward and put a pair of golden handcuffs on his darling’s wrists.

“My chosen husband was born a free man,” he said as he unsheathed his sword, “but he came to me a slave.” He raised his sword. “With my power, I cut his chains and his bonds, and restore to him his freedom,” he shouted as he cut the link that joined the cuffs together. 

His noblemen and noblewomen broke into applause.

“That was not scripted,” Mark whispered to them as he unlocked the cuffs. 

“Now, can you believe they like you?” Nikolaj whispered. 

Elik nodded, still looking doubtful.

There would be time for Nikolaj to allay his darling’s concerns, but this was not it. He only managed a smile before the Master of Ceremonies hit the floor three times. “His Imperial Majesty, Nikolaj the first of his name.”

Nikolaj took a step forward. 

“His Imperial Highness, His Majesty of Quhjan, Elik the first of his name.”

Elik took two steps, so he could stand next to Nikolaj, who offered him his hand. Together, they walked down the aisle until they reached the end of the shrine, where Mark was waiting for them. 

“Nikolaj of Bosilke, you come here to pledge yourself and all you have to this person, in front of all of your ancestors?”

“It is the truth, I do.”

“Elik of Quhjan, you come here to pledge yourself and all you have to this person, in front of the pride of Bosilke?”

“It is the truth, I do.”

A page came forward with a golden tray. Mark opened the small, golden box that was placed there and took out a golden ring that he gave to Nikolaj. 

“Nikolaj of Bosilke, plight your troth.”

Nikolaj placed it on Elik’s ring finger of the left hand. “This is a token of my love, esteem and affection for you. From now, what is mine is yours. From now, I will cherish, honour, and protect you. From now, I will respect and value you as my first husband, my equal, my partner. From now, share my triumphs and my joys. From now, share my pains and my sorrows. From now, be my One and Only.”

“Elik of Quhjan, give your troth.”

Elik looked at the finger in his hand for a second before taking the matching ring from Mark’s hand to put in Nikolaj’s ring finger. “This is a token of my love, esteem and affection for you. From now, what is mine is yours. From now, I will cherish, honour, and protect you. From now, I will respect and value you as my first husband, my equal, my partner. From now, I will share your triumphs and your joys. From now, I will share your pains and your sorrows. From now, I will be your companion, and your fate is my fate.”

Nikolaj smiled at his darling and Elik knelt gracefully before him. Another page came forward, this one carrying a tray with a diamond crown. Mark took it in his hands and passed it to Nikolaj. He lifted it for a moment, showing it to all.

“This is a symbol of Our Power and Our Glory.” He put it on Elik’s head. “Elik of Quhjan, rise and be Elik of Bosilke.”

Elik stood up just as gracefully. “Husband,” he whispered. 

“Husband,” Nikolaj said loudly. He leaned for a brief, chaste kiss on his darling’s lips and then pulled away. He took Elik’s hand again and turned so they could face the courtiers. “My Lords and Ladies, my One and Only Consort of Imperial Rank, Elik of Bosilke.”

They started cheering again. 

“That was scripted,” Mark muttered behind them. Nikolaj heard the joy and amusement in his tone. “Congratulations, Your Majesties.”

Nikolaj leaned for another kiss. “And now for a long, long dinner,” he promised his darling. 

“I hope not that long,” Elik whispered. “I want to try our marital bed.”

He had created a monster, hadn’t he? Nikolaj couldn’t stop laughing. If people thought it was from joy, he would let them. 

&*&*

Back at Ivanhof’s main banquet hall, seated at the top table at the end of the long hall under garlands of fragrant blossoms and green spruce, Nikolaj tried not to laugh at Elik’s sigh. “Didn’t you know that everyone would be presented to you?” 

“Yes, but I didn’t think it would take so much time. No wonder you had said it would be a long, long dinner,” Elik sighed again. 

Lady Irina nodded. Like the previous days, she was seated to his right. “Yes, that took forever.” Her hair was styled again in small ringlets framing her face, and the bun at the back was hidden behind a diamond-studded comb. But if she could compete with the other young ladies in his court in loveliness, her dark blue dress with the gold embroidery proudly showed she was not a slave to their fashions. 

“There are more than 300 noble families in Bosilke, My Lady,” Lady Ekaterina said, “and only a hundred were deemed noble enough to be invited.” 

He smiled. A hundred noble men and their ladies and one or two of their children were a lot of people. Elik had a point. At least, of these, only his ministers and their wives had the right to seat at the top table, with Mark next to Lady Irina, and Lady Ekaterina next to his darling. Everyone else was seated in two long tables on either side of the hall, and if one wanted to pretend that instead of four hundred there were the usual fifty or sixty people seated at the side tables, one could imagine this was just another ordinary dinner at the palace. 

“So many? Bosilke must be very big.”

“It is, My Lady,” Nikolaj smiled at her. “I hope you will stay long enough to see more of it. My da… My husband and I will start our progress in two weeks, so that everyone in the empire can see my One and Only Consort of Imperial Rank.”

“Everyone?”

Nikolaj nodded at Lady Ekaterina and she replied for him. “Yes, Lady Irina. In his great wisdom, His Majesty has decided to travel across the empire the first year of his marriage, and everyone who has grievances can bring them to His Majesty’s Consort. If His Majesty thinks the grievance is just, then the Emperor must listen to the petition.”

Lady Irina clapped her hands. “You want to show everyone how kind my brother is. What a clever idea.”

“Thank you, My Lady. Will you not travel with us?”

“Only if you really want it, Irina,” Elik told her.

“I don’t know what I want.”

“A year passes fast,” Elik continued. “If you come with us, you will hardly know when it is over.”

Lady Irina studied them. Then she smiled. “I would like it, but a year is a long time to be away from home. Besides,” she grinned, “you are newlyweds. A few months ago, one of our maids married. For weeks after that, she would disappear. When I finally asked her why she was neglecting her duties, she told me she played hide-and-seek with her husband, because that’s what newly-weds do. If you ask me to come on a journey with you, and then leave me alone to play hide-and-seek, I will be very cross with you,” she said seriously. “So, no, I’d rather be not cross, and you can play all you want.”

Lady Ekaterina hid her face behind her fan, but she could not hide her laughter. 

Nikolaj glanced at his blushing darling. “You are very wise, Lady Irina,” he told her. “Newly-weds do like playing hard and often.”

Elik hit his arm lightly. “My Lord,” he hissed. 

Lady Ekaterina giggled. 

Lady Irina frowned. “You make fun of me.”

“No, My Lady,” Nikolaj grinned. “It’s just, you are absolutely right. Hide-and-seek is a very sweet game between newly-weds, and,” he touched his darling’s hand, “you are correct, we will be playing it as often as our duties allow it. You are very kind to allow us this freedom.”

She beamed at them. “I want you to be happy. I take it back; you are worthy to be Eli’s husband.”

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at his darling, who looked mortified. “I am glad you approve of me,” he smiled at her. 

“I do,” she told him solemnly. “And I approve that you gave Eli a big house. Now everyone can see that my brother is married to the emperor.”

“And that’s important?” he asked her, trying not to laugh. 

“Yes. Back home, a rich man must show he’s rich, and take care of his wife.”

Lady Ekaterina pointed her fan accusingly at his darling. “Your Majesty. You said that men didn’t provide for their women, and that women worked at Quhjan.”

Lady Irina shook his head. “He’s a man, how do you expect him to know anything about women’s things? Women work, but men provide.” She turned to Lady Ekaterina. “Next time, ask me. Eli only knows what he reads.”

His darling changed colour. Instead of replying to his sister, he gestured to one of the pages and gave him a message. 

Nikolaj thanked every god above that he had no such close relatives to embarrass him. The next moment he paled. Lady Irina was now his sister-in-law. She’d go back to Quhjan and tell everyone he loved playing hide-and-seek with his darling. Fuck. 

“But can women separate their husbands easily at Quhjan, or was His Majesty wrong about that too?” Lady Ekaterina asked, looking at his darling as if he were a very big liar. 

Mark turned to listen to that. And so did everyone else. 

Lady Irina nodded. “Yes, that is true. A woman only has to break a loaf of bread, throw it on the floor, and spill salt on the table. Then she’s separated from any husband who doesn’t please her.”

Lady Ekaterina raised her chin proudly. “Your General Meeting is next week, Your Majesty? I may draft a proposal for a bill to be discussed there.”

What had he done without thinking of the consequences? “Erm…”

“We will not make that a law,” Mark said firmly. 

“Why not?” She countered behind her fan. Her tone was aggressive, but her eyes had crinkles and were shining with amusement. 

The doors to the Hall opened and the sweet sound of lutes and violins cut through the noise. As the music sounded closer, his court fell quiet, as curious and excited as Nikolaj himself. The song was a traditional Bosilik wedding song, but the music was fit for an imperial court, refined and played only with soft-sounding instruments, not with the harsh drums and bagpipes of the common folk. 

“Who is that man?” a woman started singing, her voice clear and bright.

“His hair falls in dark curls,” three more women sang, their voices trembling with longing.

“Who is that man?” the first woman continued as she stepped into the hall. 

“His curls fall to his shoulders,” the three sang in response, walking behind the first singer. 

Lady Irina looked curious. 

“It’s a wedding song from here,” Lady Ekaterina told her softly. “Who’s that man?” she sang together with the first singer. 

“Dark as the night, his curls,” Nikolaj sang as well. “It’s Master Ivan, Master Ivan.”

The four singers stood on one side of the hall, with the musicians on the other. “Of all the stars,” they started singing, “The night sky’s bright stars,” 

“Master Ivan chose his star,” Nikolaj sang loudly. He suddenly stood up. “His bright star,” he sang as he pressed his hand on the table and jumped to the empty space in front of the table. 

“He chose it himself. Master Ivan.”

Nikolaj slapped his thigh and made a few quick steps here he stood. 

“The morning star.”

He grinned as he danced even faster. 

“His star is not the biggest, but how it shines.” 

He raised his left arm, placed his right over his belly and started swirling, kicking and stomping his feet each time he stepped down.

“Searching the world, searching everywhere.”

He raised both hands as he jumped high. 

“Among all the stars.”

He swirled again. 

“Master Ivan chose his love.”

And he jumped as high as he could. 

“He chose her himself.”

With one arm up, and the other down, he kicked the air and hit the ground. 

“His love is tall and slender.”

He jumped again and turned in the air. 

“His love shines bright.”

He landed on one bent knee, made a kick and switched the foot on which he was standing. 

“Master Ivan chose her himself.”

He stood up, and made an exaggerated bow towards Elik. “Do you dare?” he mouthed as everyone clapped. “Do you know Gold-haired Vanya?” he asked loudly the lead singer. 

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” She curtsied and nodded to the musicians. “Who gave birth to you?” She started. 

“Gold-haired Vanya,” the others sang, Nikolaj together with them. 

Nikolaj gestured towards Elik, winking at him. 

His darling mimicked him, jumping over the table as he had done. 

“Was it the stars, burning in the night sky?” He continued singing as Elik landed and sprang up clapping his hands.

“Gold-haired Vanya.”

Elik crossed his arms in front of his chest and lowered himself. He kicked up. 

“Was it the moon, shining in the night sky?”

He changed foot and kicked up again. 

“Was it the sun, lighting the day?”

And again he kicked up, faster and faster.

“Gold-haired Vanya. Your hair burns like a fire.”

With a smile, he jumped up, splaying his legs wide. He clapped in the air, laughing, fell down and did it again, feeling Nikolaj with pride. His darling was so flexible. 

“Gold-haired Vanya. Your hair burns even brighter.”

He landed and, facing him, made the same exaggerated, deep bow as Nikolaj.

Nikolaj couldn’t help himself. He grabbed Elik and kissed him deeply, making his court erupt in more cheers. 

“I want to dance too,” Lady Irina shouted excitedly. She climbed on the table and jumped down from there, her long, dark green dress fluttering around her legs for a moment. She ran to them and tugged at Nikolaj’s hand. “Eli will dance with me. You are far too tall for me.”

Nikolaj bowed deeply. “As you wish.”

The musicians started playing a fast tune. 

Elik faced his sister, took her hands in his and they started stomping the floor as they danced with small, light steps around the hall. 

“Of all the oaks, I’ve never seen a sturdier,” the women all started singing together. 

“I like this,” Lady Ekaterina laughed. A second later, Mark was on the table. He cut a dashing figure in his tight-fitting, dark red uniform as he helped her up. He hopped down and caught her as she jumped, her pine green and silver dress billowing around her, revealing the layers of lace she wore underneath it. 

Nikolaj went to her. “My Lady?”

She gave him her hands and they started whirling around the hall. 

“I forgot to thank you earlier for Lady Irina’s dress.”

“You’re welcome. It’s cut like a Quhjani dress but decorated with Bosilik patterns.”

“It suits her.” He smiled, looking at how his darling and his sister looked like two bright flames with their hair coming loose as they danced faster and faster. 

“I think His Majesty will fit well here,” she said, looking admiringly at his darling. “When was the last time we danced at a ball? The Winter Solstice one doesn’t count.”

That was true; even though they had music at every dinner, when had he last stopped to listen to it, much less dance to it? “We tend to drink too much to actually listen to the music,” he agreed with her. 

“Or we fuck,” she muttered under her breath. “You were missed at the Winter Solstice Ball,” she said more loudly. 

“I was busy with other things.” Like watching his darling stab a man in the eye. 

“Let’s hope next year’s ball will be full of pleasant things.”

The song ended and another fast dance started. Lady Irina tugged at his sleeve. “Change of partner,” she grinned, and took Lady Ekaterina’s hand from him, leaving him to dance with Elik. 

“Darling,” he whispered as he approached Elik, raising his arm.

“Love,” Elik smiled at him. Their hands touched for a moment, and then Elik stepped back. 

“Darling,” Nikolaj repeated as he circled around Elik and moved close again. 

“Love,” Elik grinned at him as he took a step back. 

Lady Nathalia touched Elik’s hand. “Change of partner.”

Nikolaj let go of his darling and turned to face Mark. 

“We will not pass a law for women to separate so easily,” he said fiercely.

“She would not divorce you and you know that,” he grinned. She loved him too much for that.

“I know, I’m just saying,” Mark continued to pretend to be upset.

Lady Ekaterina tapped her husband’s shoulder. “You were saying?”

Nikolaj turned swiftly away, and saw Irina waving at him. He was tempted to lift her up, but he was certain her dignity would not allow it. “How do you like Ivanhof?”

“It’s big. I don’t know why you need such a big palace. You’re just one man.”

Lady Irina had a way with words, he thought with a smile. “But you approve that I gave Elik a big house.”

She nodded seriously. “Yes. Eli is worth a thousand horses and a new house.”

Nikolaj grinned. A high bride-price, indeed, but he agreed with her. His darling was worth that, and more, much more. 

Lady Nathalia laughed. “Change of partner.”

Nikolaj turned towards her. 

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. I hope your union ushers a period of peace.”

“Your husband is Minister of War, and you wish for peace?” he laughed.

“Who would prefer war over peace, Your Majesty?” 

“War brings glory.”

“I’d rather have my husband at home, than glory, Your Majesty.”

Nikolaj shook his head. Women, what did they understand of such things? Before he could answer her, he had to change partners. Lady Ekaterina smiled at him. “Lady Nathalia prefers peace to glory,” he laughed. 

“So do I, Your Majesty.”

“Even though you profit from each successful campaign?”

“Our enemies are not that different from us.” She glanced at his darling and then at Lady Irina. “They are a bit rough around the edges,” she grinned, “but apart from that?”

“Still…”

“We even speak the same language,” she cut him off. 

Nikolaj froze to the spot. He hadn’t done something unprecedented with unexpected consequences by introducing the General Meeting. He’d done it by making his war-caught bride his wife, and showing everyone that the conquered people were just like them. Even a child knew that the enemy had to be different, or else why fight? Who would support a war against people like them? 

The song ended, but there was no music after that. 

Nikolaj stood still in the middle of the room. What had he done? How could an Emperor fight wars without his people’s support? What was an Emperor who didn’t fight wars? And he was good at fighting. He’d fought seven wars in ten years and he’d won them all, the first when he was just twenty-one, and his people had approved of him ever since. 

“What clouds hide your sun from me?” 

At the softly-spoken question he looked up from the marble floor, seeing Elik’s worried expression.

Nikolaj slowly smiled. He suddenly knew what kind of Emperor he would be from then on. He would be an Emperor of Peace and Reconciliation. He was good at fighting, and he’d fight if he had to, but for the time being, he would prove himself just as good at making peace. “Passing ones, my sweet. They’re gone already.”

His darling smiled back but still studied him, concerned.

“Wait a little,” he grinned as he called a page and passed a message to the musicians. Moments later, the musicians started playing another fast tune. “You know this one?”

Elik nodded, smiling. 

Nikolaj raised his arms and started dancing with small, light steps around his darling, as his darling did the same. They circled each other, never touching, and turned in circles as they danced. 

“Why this sadness, why this sorrow?” Elik sang softly at the same time as the singers. “I’m leaving home to get married. Far from home, I’m getting married.”

Nikolaj took out his handkerchief, raised his hand, making sure to wave the little piece of cloth as he did. When he had completed that circle around his darling, Elik picked up the corner of the fabric. Joined only by the handkerchief, they started their new circle, facing each other as they danced with even faster steps. 

“Far from home, this white swan comes to us,” Nikolaj sang staring at his darling. “What will we do to the white swan? We’ll make a home for the swan, this fair, white swan.”

When the song ended, he pulled his darling to him and hugged him tightly. Mark made a questioning gesture and Nikolaj nodded. Mark too nodded.

The Master of Ceremonies hit his staff down three times. 

Nikolaj smiled at Elik. 

“My Lords and Ladies, it is time for Their Majesties to retire,” Mark announced loudly. “A toast to their Majesties. Hurrah. Hurrah. Hurrah.”

“Hurrah. Hurrah. Hurrah.”

Mark and his wife bowed deeply before them. “Your Majesties,” they said in unison as they rose. They walked out of the Hall. The rest of his court followed behind them.

Nikolaj gave his hand to Elik and waited until the path leading to his bedroom was lined with all the courtiers who had been invited to the wedding ceremony. Only when the file was complete, and there were men and women waiting to cheer them in every step of the way from the banquet hall to the bedroom, did Nikolaj start walking together with his darling. 

“They will leave us alone in the bedroom, won’t they?” Elik whispered to him under the joyful cries of congratulations and good wishes. 

“Yes, it is not our custom for courtiers to watch and wait for my marriage to be consummated.” 

Elik frowned. 

“My sweet?”

“I am just thinking of fortune’s wheel, My Love, and how strange its turns are.”

Nikolaj squeezed his fingers. How hypocritical this custom must have seemed to his darling, after he had taken him in front of all his court, naked and bound like an animal brought in for slaughter. 

Elik suddenly chuckled. “At least, thanks to your other customs, your courtiers know that you can perform your marital duties.”

Nikolaj started laughing, although he still felt sorry about how his darling had been brought to him. How could he not love his darling’s indomitable spirit and resilience? “And they know that you please me greatly,” he smiled. “No one will dare offend you, not while you hold my favour.” He lifted Elik’s hand and kissed the back of his palm. “And you will never lose my favour, darling. Even if you propose outrageous things, even if you grow cold towards me, even if I lose my senses and stop loving you, you will remain my One and Only Consort of Imperial Rank. I will protect your pride and honour until the day I die, my Husband.”

Elik stared at him. “And I will uphold your honour and dignity as long as I live, my Husband. I will try hard not to propose outrageous things, but only good things, for the benefit of yourself and the whole empire.”

Nikolaj smirked. He was certain he’d hear at least one outrageous thing every two weeks. He was about to bet on it. 

“I mean it, Husband,” Elik protested. “And I promise to cook and wait upon you for as long as you please me.”

Nikolaj started laughing again, glad he hadn’t made the bet about the outrageous things. He would have lost; it would be best to bet on one outrageous thing every day. What a strange way for his darling to say he loved him. “As long as I please you, will you make me meat jelly?”

“With pleasure, Husband.”

Finally, they arrived at his rooms. The guards opened the doors for them. Mark and his wife stood on either side of the entrance, both grinning broadly. “Congratulations, Your Majesties,” they said.

Nikolaj acknowledged them with a nod. He turned towards his courtiers. “Thank you for your well wishes, my Lords and Ladies. I wish you too will have the same joy in your marital bed as I will have in mine.”

The cheers mingled with congratulations and more expressions of good hopes for the future. 

Nikolaj turned to his darling. “According to custom, I now must carry you to our bedroom,” he said and lifted easily his darling in his arms. 

His darling looked at him awestruck. “Your strength is marvellous,” he whispered. 

There were even more cheers as he did that. He stepped over the threshold and the guards closed the doors behind them. Even so, he could still his court congratulating him loudly. 

“You can put me down now,” Elik smiled. 

With a snort, Nikolaj carried his darling to their bedroom. Just as he had instructed, their bed was full of roses. He lowered himself and put Elik down. “I was right,” he smiled. “You’re fairer than any rose.”

Elik slid down and knelt by his feet. “And you are better than any man I know,” he said as he started untying his boot laces. 

Nikolaj caressed his hair. “So, I please you, Husband?”

“Greatly, Husband,” Elik said, glancing at him with a smile. 

Smiling back, Nikolaj let Elik undress him fully, and then watched as his darling stripped his clothes off. How beautiful his darling was. “A white swan shall be your emblem. Graceful and elegant, yet fierce and protective of its one and only mate.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

He patted the bed and lay down, waiting for his darling to wrap himself around him. “It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?”

His darling hummed in agreement. He caressed Nikolaj’s chest. “I was so looking forward to our coupling tonight, but now, all I want to do is sleep.”

Nikolaj reached for the bedcovers. “So do I, darling, so do I.”

“Still,” Elik whispered the moment they were under the blanket, his hand trailing down Nikolaj’s stomach. “I feel we should do something,” he grinned, as he wrapped his fingers and his palm around Nikolaj’s dick, “to celebrate the occasion,” he concluded, stroking him fast.

Despite the fatigue of the long day, Nikolaj still felt his cock rise and stiffen in his darling’s hand. “You may have a point,” he laughed as he reached down and took his darling’s cock in his fist. Like a bird, it fluttered in his hand, and rose proudly in the prison of his fingers. 

With a broken moan, Elik raised himself up and kissed him on the lips. Nikolaj opened his mouth, bit Elik’s upper lip, and sucked it between his own for a few moments. How he loved that plump, soft flesh. With another moan, Elik’s tongue touched his lips, inviting him to a deeper kiss. How could he refuse?

The more he kissed his darling, the more he was certain he would never tire of him, or his sweet kisses. He would never grow used to how his darling made his body sing with joy, and his blood burn with desire. His limbs grew tense and ready to fight, yet there was no enemy, only his darling driving him to greater passion. The fire in his belly could not be quenched, and his release made it spread in every part of him, yet, how delightful it was to surrender to this fire, and drag his darling with him to the flames and offer him relief from their sweet torment.

Satisfied, he closed his eyes, his hand still grasping his darling’s jewel of a stalk, and his darling still holding his happy member. How sweet married life with his One and Only would be, he thought with a smile as he drifted to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hadn't realised that I love folk songs, well, now you know!  
> Some of the wedding songs at the end were (heavily) adapted from some of the songs mentioned in this article: https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/4647. Others were inspired by Greek folk songs. The dances are also inspired by traditional Russian and Greek dances, but even though the movements come from there, the sequence of steps is made-up. To make matters even more complicated, I was listening to Bulgarian and Greek folk songs at the time of writing, and thinking of that music when I thought of the dances :)


	16. Morning gift

Elik felt his husband’s strong arms tighten around him. He half-opened his eyes, and smiled at him. How beautiful his husband was with his dark curls framing his handsome face. A sculptor could not have chiselled his features better. 

“Good morning, darling,” his husband whispered in his ear and then kissed him on the cheek. 

Before Elik could turn to kiss him properly, his husband let him go and moved away from him. He protested without words, letting out a little moan. He watched as his husband opened the door to the inner audience room and the servants came in, some to dress His Lord, some to tidy up the room. Their clothes were still on the floor where they had thrown them the night before.

He felt a little hurt. According to what he’d read and what Lady Ekaterina had confirmed, newlyweds spent the first day of their marriage together, having a long breakfast and accepting congratulations and small gifts from their friends – in this case, courtiers and anyone who had access to the court. When they had finished receiving their friends, the couple spent the day together. Lady Ekaterina had warned him, though, that, in their case, they’d probably go from breakfast straight to dinner by the time they had received everyone. “An emperor’s work never stops,” he said softly. “Will I see you at lunch, My Lord?”

His husband laughed loudly. “You will see me in thirty minutes, darling.”

Elik frowned slightly, curious. 

“I have to prepare and bring you my morning gift.”

“My…” Elik sat up, suddenly fully awake. “I thought you didn’t have to.” He felt himself reddening. “You took my virginity months ago.” Everyone had been there for that. 

His husband took the towel that was covering his face off, gestured for the servants to leave them, and went to him in two strides. “Darling,” he said, taking his hands in his and caressing them, “The morning gift is not recompense for a bride losing her virginity. It may seem so, considering when it is given, but the true reason is to ensure she has some money of her own, especially after her husband dies. I cannot forgo tradition just because we have been fucking for the last months.”

“Your customs are strange. You say you treat your main wife with respect, yet you make a spectacle of the moment that she becomes a wife. Do you have to show the bloody sheets too?”

“Why are you so upset, darling? It’s just a custom,” his husband asked, frowning. His fingers continued to caress his hands, trying to comfort him. 

“I don’t know.” Elik was annoyed and he really didn’t know why. No, he did. He just didn’t know if he could tell it to His Lord. With a deep breath, he decided that he would. If His Lord got mad, then so be it. It would be a good chance to see if his husband had meant all the promises he’d made the night before, of if it was just lust and wine talking. “No, I do know. I thought being your main wife and consort would mean that I am no longer a thing you own, something to buy and sell, yet now I see that I was wrong. I’m upset because I feel stupid for thinking that, and angry that the world is such a place that even things that should be sacred are treated like commodities. I don’t like this world, and I don’t like feeling stupid.”

His Lord stared at him with a shocked expression. “It has to be the meat,” he muttered under his breath. He stood up and turned his back at him. 

Elik took his husband’s pillow and hugged it. It had been the wine, and lust. Should he apologise, or accept the fact that he’d lost his husband’s favour even before their married life had really started? “I’m sorry for upsetting you, but you asked,” he said raising himself to his full height, but still holding the pillow in front of him like a shield. “Husband,” he tried the word, to see how His Lord would react. 

His Lord groaned deeply. When he turned to face him, he was fully hard. “Darling, when you speak like that, I really want to fuck you.”

Elik shook his head. “Why don’t you? My body is yours. I will not deny you your rights.” 

His husband’s cock bobbed enthusiastically at his words, but his husband still looked shocked. “I want to, but I shouldn’t. Not when you are upset and angry.”

“I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at the world. And myself. I know you’re doing what you must, and that this is one of the rules recorded in the Book of Conduct, but I had never thought it would apply to me.”

“Why not?” he asked with obvious concern. “You are my consort, of course I will behave accordingly.”

“You have already given me so much, and I have only myself to give you back. What use is a morning gift to someone who has brought no peace treaties or alliances as his dowry? Even the crown I gave you, you already owned it.” He didn’t add that he still felt different to all the pure and spotless Empresses that had been at his place. He imagined that for them too it must have been embarrassing to see what price their virginities had fetched, but for him to receive this when he was soiled goods… 

“Do you value yourself so little, that you don’t think you deserve this?” His Lord cut off his musings, asking with more worry than curiosity, and making Elik feel a little better. 

Elik frowned. “I don’t know if I’m worth this, even though I know my worth,” he answered honestly.

His Lord suddenly grinned. “And what is your worth? If you had to name your own bride-price, what would it be?”

Unlike the year-counting system, he had no idea how to translate that in Bosilik terms. What was the current value of land in this country? “May I use Quhjani terms?” 

His husband nodded. 

He was a member of the Council, and his family was rich, owning a lot of the land around Jedlowa. He hadn’t exaggerated when he’d said that their lands spread as far as the eye could see when one climbed at the tallest point of Jedlowa. Whoever would have asked to make him their bride, and leave his home, would have had to offer a lot for the privilege of marrying him. “A thousand horses and land for them, and a new home.”

“Alright.” His husband grinned. “If your sweet self is worth so much, then so much I will give you. Happy?”

“I would be happier if this custom were abolished.”

“Of course, you would be,” His Husband grinned. He started laughing. “Last night, I wanted to bet with you that you would tell me one outrageous thing every day. I’m glad I didn’t make that bet. Darling, you are capable of telling me one outrageous thing before breakfast.” He continued laughing. “There have been morning gifts as long as there have been Bosilik. I’m sorry, darling, you will accept my gift.”

Elik sat down, defeated but feeling light of heart at the same time. He smiled. “Then, I will accept it gladly. Not because it is a rule, but as a token that I still hold your affection.” 

His Husband was next to him again. “My sweet, I’d have to be mad to not love you. Or maybe become sane, for loving you feels like a form of madness. You say things that are shocking, you want to change the world, and, if you could, you would abolish monarchy and have us all live under the guidance of a council. These are grounds for treason, and yet, when you speak like that, all I see is how passionate you are, and how beautiful, and…” He caressed his heavy member once. “I really want nothing more than to fuck you, and have some of your fire.”

Elik looked at him. “It is true; I think that a council would serve the needs of the people better than a king, but, with you as king, I gladly submit to your rule.” He put his hand over his husband’s and stroked his member. “And I can’t think of anything more pleasurable than being fucked by you. Even when it hurts, it hurts in a good way, and when you hold me, all the pain goes away.”

His husband groaned. “Your morning gift will wait,” he declared loudly, as he pushed Elik down on the bed. 

“I disagree. This feels like a fine morning gift to me,” he replied, spreading his legs and reaching for the oil. 

With a soft smile, his husband took the bottle from his fingers and poured some of the liquid in his fingers before penetrating him and stretching him slowly. Elik pushed against his fingers. “This feels so nice.”

“It feels good to me too, darling. You are so hot and soft inside. I can’t wait to bury myself inside you.”

“Why wait?” he asked, winking at him.

“Because it will hurt,” his husband replied as if he were a child.

“I don’t mind,” Elik told him seriously. “I like it when you are gentle, but I also like it when you touch me knowing I won’t break under you.”

His husband stabbed him with two fingers, making him gasp. “Like that?” he asked.

“Yes, Husband.” He took the bottle from his husband’s hands and oiled his throbbing member before guiding it towards him. His husband removed his fingers, making him feel empty, but a moment later, he started pressing inside him. “And like this,” he gasped as he reached up to embrace his husband’s neck, driving his member deeper inside him. 

His husband shuddered as he grabbed Elik’s ass and raised him so he could sit on his lap, driving the last inches of his member inside him.

“Yes,” Elik shouted as he was impaled by that long, thick, hard member.

“Who taught you to like this?” His husband asked bemused, nuzzling him. 

“You did.”

His husband froze, his dark eyes filling with sadness, making Elik worry. Did his husband misunderstand him? Did he confuse how he had hurt him by passing him around, to how he had made him enjoy their couplings? He smiled, grinding his ass down on his husband’s groin. 

“Your law,” he couldn’t help but smirk, “would take away my genitals. So, when you gave me a temporary reprieve from that, I decided that before you did that, first you would please me.” He hugged his husband’s neck more tightly, and bit his earlobe. “You taught me how to take pleasure in your pleasure, and how to delight in it. And you do please me so much, Husband,” he moaned in his ear as he started riding him. 

His husband groaned deeply. He closed his eyes and sought Elik’s mouth for a kiss. Elik sighed, letting his husband’s tongue slide past his lips and do its best to make him dizzy with desire. His husband kissed so well; their kisses were duels between equally matched opponents, giving Elik chances to thrust and parry when he could easily take and take. 

As they kissed, his husband reached between them and his hot fist closed round Elik’s member. His husband knew exactly how he liked to be touched; he had created Elik’s favourite rhythm and each time he played a new variation on it. 

When his husband hit that secret place inside him, Elik couldn’t stand it. He let himself fall off the precipice of his desire, begging his husband with his kisses to help him through it. As he held on to his husband, satiated and boneless, letting his husband win the duel that was their kiss, he felt his husband’s member pulse madly. Moments later, he felt his hot semen inside him. 

His husband broke the kiss. “Darling,” he moaned. 

“Husband?”

“I’m glad you have your balls.”

Elik stared at him for a moment. His husband looked serious, but his eyes were shining with amusement. He started laughing, and only his husband’s arms around him kept him from falling off his lap. “I’m also glad,” he finally managed to wheeze. 

With a soft rub of his nose against Elik’s, his husband pulled away from him. 

It hurt a little, but Elik didn’t care. He liked it when his husband wasn’t careful with him during their couplings. Especially since, the moment his husband saw his little pained frown, he held him even more tightly. “Your arms are the warmest home I’ll ever need,” he sighed happily. 

“And your ass is the warmest home for my dick,” his husband said immediately, grinning. “I love it.”

Elik chuckled. 

Gently, tenderly, his husband laid him down on their bed. “I must get ready now, darling,” he said regretfully. 

He nodded and reached for the bell so he could summon back the servants. 

As they came in, Elik hugged his husband’s pillow and watched as they prepared him and continued tidying. “Promise me we’ll spend a day naked. I so love looking at you,” he sighed, admiring his husband. How tall he was, how broad he was, how muscular. 

His husband put his finger on his lip. “Shush, darling, or you will receive your morning gift even later.”

He didn’t protest that he didn’t want to receive it at all. As usual, only after his outbursts he realized how he was playing with fire. His husband was still His Lord, and an emperor could execute his empress on the grounds of treason. He was lucky that His Lord was amused by his views, but what if he pushed him too far one day? One day he’d say something that His Lord would not abide and then… 

Well, the worst thing His Lord could do to him was kill him. If or when that happened, he’d accept that gladly, as long as he had stayed true to himself until then. 

“My moon should be bright,” his husband suddenly said, “not hidden by clouds.”

“I’m sorry.” He smiled sweetly at his husband. “I just wish you wouldn’t leave.”

“I’ll be back soon, darling.” 

He nodded and continued watching as the servants prepared his husband for a few minutes. “I’m going to have a bath,” he suddenly said. If they were going to have such a long day, he’d rather be completely clean. 

His husband laughed. “My swan loves water. Fly, my darling, and when you are back, your mate will come greet you.”

His husband’s affection brought such warmth inside him, he couldn’t help but blush. He told himself he needed to thank his husband properly for finally installing a proper bath suite in his rooms, but first, he needed to be clean.

&*&*

By the time he was out of the bath, he was clean and he had even shaved. Unlike his husband, he preferred doing that himself. He stepped out of the bathroom and immediately went back. 

“Your Majesty,” Lady Ekaterina laughed from the other side of the door. “Come out. You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before.”

Grabbing a towel and wrapping it around himself, he walked out. “Why are you here, My Lady?”

“To make sure you are ready for your morning gift.”

He groaned. 

“The morning gift is a very old and venerable tradition, Your Majesty. Now, will you let me prepare you?” she said as she picked up a nightshirt from one of his pages. 

“You will be my First Lady-in-waiting?”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” she smiled. 

“I thought that…”

“That since you are male, your ladies will also be men? Whoever heard of such a thing?” She grinned, taking the sting off her words. “One of the roles of the Empress is to allow noble ladies to have a space to perform duties in court. Otherwise, we might as well all live back in our estates in the countryside. I’m afraid that, even if you are not called Empress, you must still act the part. We cannot have two male-dominated courts. Your Majesty,” she curtsied, “You are stuck with us.”

She had a point. “Can I at least be dressed by men?”

“As I said, you don’t have anything I haven’t seen before. And, from what I’ve seen, you also have nothing to be ashamed of. Quite the contrary.”

Elik stared at her. 

She stared back, nightshirt in her hands. She suddenly made another small curtsy. “You are too tall for me to dress you properly, Your Majesty. I think that your proposal has merit. You can be dressed by men, even if it is not prescribed by protocol.”

He smiled at her. “Maybe we can discuss what changes need to be done to protocol to accommodate my particular needs as Imperial-Consort-but-not-Empress?”

She grinned. “We can. I will wait outside while your men dress you in this nightshirt and dressing gown.” She glanced at the bed. “And while the bed gets made. Call me when you are done.”

“Thank you, My Lady.”

As two of his servants changed the bedding, Elik let his other servants dress him in the clothes that Lady Ekaterina had told him to wear. Both had copious amounts of lace and made him feel like a fluffy dessert when he finally put them on. Was this Lady Ekaterina’s attempt to make him follow courtly fashions? Deciding that it had to be so, he prepared himself for her, and told his pages to admit her. 

She smiled approvingly when she saw him. “Now you must lay on the bed and wait for your morning gift.”

“Excuse me?”

“The morning gift is delivered on a day that is very special for every woman, and after a night that has taxed her strength to degree until then unimaginable,” she said seriously. 

He gestured for the servants to leave them. “My Lady? You are my friend, aren’t you?” He sat on the edge of the bed. 

She frowned, worried. “Of course. What is the matter, Your Majesty?”

“May I ask you a personal question?”

She snorted. “I think the time for asking permission for such questions is long past.” She sat on a chair. “But, you have it. What is it you want to ask me, Your Majesty?” 

Elik took a deep breath. “How was it for you? Receiving your morning gift?” 

She grinned. “That is all?”

He nodded. 

“If you must know,” Lady Ekaterina smiled, “It was nice. Everyone knew I was a girl no more.” She looked at him from under her lashes. “A girl has few opportunities, but a married woman? Ah…” She started laughing. “Your Majesty, you look so shocked.”

He wondered how surprised his expression was to amuse her so greatly. “I was taught that some things are to be done only in private and between husband and wife. Or husband and husband, or wife and wife.” He had grown used to being taken in public by His Lord, but part of him had never liked it, and he was so relieved when His Lord stopped doing it after their return from Jedlowa. That he dragged him to the closest room whenever he wanted to take him was not the same as taking him in front of everyone. Elik wondered suddenly; as Imperial Consort, could he also drag His Husband to the closest room so they could be together?

Her expression softened. “Does everyone back at Quhjan think like that, or were you that sheltered?”

He thought back at his life there. He couldn’t think of ever seeing anyone take another in public. Although, he could remember seeing people disappear behind bushes or go at the stables when there was no need to take care of the horses. People who hadn't been married yet and even people who were married. “I wish I can reply with all honesty that it’s the former, but perhaps I was too sheltered.” He sighed. 

“Your Majesty,” she said very gently, “It’s different for every person.” She looked at him smiling, “Mark and I knew we would get married since we were children. Our parents arranged for us to meet frequently and, once the time of our marriage came closer, we started spending the summers together. No, not like that,” she grinned. “I would spend a month at his summer house, then he would spend a month in mine. We were always chaperoned. It is true, as married adults we have great freedom, but children’s chastity is protected.”

That of free children, he thought bitterly, and bit his lips to prevent his complaint from spilling. “It sounds ideal.”

“Yes, it does, doesn’t it? I guess it is,” she grinned. “Mark and I are friends first. We always were. Even when I had to learn how to take him, we talked about it.” She leaned closer, her eyes shining. “Did I ever tell you the story of our first night? That is more amusing than that of receiving my morning gift.”

“Is it?”

She stood up so she could whisper to him. “I made him tie me to our bed so I could not run away from his weapon,” she giggled. “I liked it, and so did he.” 

He drew a sharp breath, not knowing what he found more shocking, that she had wanted to be tied, or that she had not wanted to run away from her husband’s weapon when she first saw it. 

She pulled away. “So, to return to your original question, I was eager for my morning gift. I was a woman who had discovered pleasure, and I was married to my best friend after a long engagement.”

“You didn’t think it was demeaning, or humiliating, that he gave you money after having you?”

She gasped, shocked. “No, why would I think that? It is the husband’s duty to give the morning gift. I would have been humiliated if he hadn’t done it. Everyone would have found me lacking in some way. Everyone would know that I had arrived unchaste to my married bed.” She shivered. “I would have been never able to face anyone after that.”

“I see.” It was all a matter of how one grew up, he suddenly realized. Back home, some things were private and sacred. Here, private things were public, and meant different things. For his husband, the morning gift was what a husband did to secure his wife’s finances. For Lady Ekaterina, it meant her acceptance into noble, adult society and all its rules. What was strange to him, was normal to them. No wonder they thought him so strange. 

“Then, please lie under the covers, and wait for His Majesty to bring you the token of your chas…” She suddenly stopped. “Oh,” she mumbled. 

“Oh,” he agreed with a sigh. He hadn’t brought his chastity to his marital bed, unlike her – and all the other Empresses before him. He didn’t deserve this morning gift. 

She paced around the bed for a few moments. Then she suddenly sat next to him, grinning madly. “Congratulations, Your Majesty. His Majesty, your husband, will finally give you the gift he should have given you when he first married you. About time.” She stood up. “Seriously, it took him long enough. Men,” she sighed, shaking her head in mock-exasperation.

Elik chuckled, admiring her way of spinning facts around. He was worthy of his morning gift, but his husband had been remiss in his duty. If anyone ever dared tell him that he did not deserve it, he could just blame his husband, and she would support him, he was certain of that. “Thank you.” What a strange world this was. “I understand so little of this place, and its rules. My Lady, will you help me make sense of it?”

She curtsied with a wink. “Of course, Your Majesty. Is something else that troubles you?” 

“No.”

“Then, please lie down as custom dictates, or His Majesty cannot come in. And if he cannot come in, you then can’t go and greet all the people who want to wish you well on your journey of married life.” She looked at him seriously. “This is the chance for everyone else who is high-born, but not noble enough to be invited to Your Majesties’ wedding, to feel included in Bosilik nobility and high class. This is not about receiving wishes or gifts, but making them feel happy and included.” She gestured for him to move. "Back home," she continued, "We had to receive all the people working in our fields. It was such a bore," she pretended to yawn, "they were so many, but, it made them happy when we offered them lunch and gifts back, and that's what mattered. A wedding is a happy occasion for all," she sighed dreamily

Elik froze and stared at her. He was the Empress of the Bosilik in everything but the precise title and the sex, and the weight of what that meant suddenly overwhelmed him. When his husband put that ring on his finger, he didn’t give him his freedom; he bound him with even heavier chains than those of slavery, the chains of tradition and protocol and service to the empire. The former could be broken; the latter never would.

“There will be time to get into the reasons behind the rules in the Book of Conduct later,” she assured him. “For now, it is enough that you follow them, as you already do.” She smiled. “You are already doing a good job, Your Majesty.”

He slid under the covers, feeling exhausted. “That’s not it.”

“Then? Your Majesty?” she asked him softly.

“Everything is too much,” he whispered. “I hadn’t realized what this meant,” he said, playing with the thin band on his finger. He’d thought it was his way to freedom and that of his people. How stupid he’d been. 

“But now you do?” she asked in the same gentle voice.

“Yes.” Elik of Quhjan was no more, even though he still carried his Quhjani upbringing and ideas with him. “I am Elik of Bosilke, and I will be dutiful to my people.” He smiled at her. “I am ready now.” 

She gave him a proud smile and went and opened the bedroom doors. “Your Majesty,” she curtsied deeply, her back turned towards Elik. 

Elik sat up a little straighter. 

His beautiful husband strode in, looking radiant. Two of his pages walked behind him, a tray covered by golden silk in their hands, and behind them, the Chancellor, his ministers, and his cousins, all with their wives hiding their faces behind fans. Elik felt glad for the dressing gown. 

“Your Majesty,” he told his husband, “I am so pleased to see you.” He felt that now, more than ever, he’d need His Love to have his back and support him, while he struggled with the challenge to bring his Quhjani past in line with his Bosilik present.

“Darling,” he smiled at him as he sat on the edge of the bed, “These are for you.” The pages put the tray down in front of him, and his husband lifted the silk fabric. 

Elik smiled at the silver box in the shape of a swan in the middle. “Where did you get that? How?”

“The gift is in the box, my sweet,” he grinned, as he lifted the cover, and showed him that is was full of gold coins. “But to answer your question, I asked if we had anything suitable for my fair swan at the Imperial Treasury.”

“Thank you, My Lord.” These would make wonderful gifts for all the people who supported him at Ivanhof, he decided. His pages, the grooms, the kitchen slaves, the tailor’s and the shoemaker’s assistants. And for the seamstresses too, who’d worked all day and night to prepare his sister’s dress for his wedding. They deserved the gold more than he did.

“And these,” he pointed at a stack of scroll, “are also for you. Go ahead, open them.”

Elik broke the seal of the first document and unrolled it. It was the deed to the Palace of Serene Joy. Then he broke the seals of the second and the third and the fourth scroll. They were all deeds to land, and all the villages therein. “My Lord?”

“Your bride-price, my sweet. A new house and land for the pasture of a thousand horses,” his husband smiled. 

He hadn’t expected his husband to take him seriously. “Oh. And the horses?”

The Chancellor chuckled.

“And the horses,” his husband laughed. 

Elik nodded. “Thank you. My Lord is most kind.”

“Don’t you mean ‘generous’, my sweet?” He continued laughing.

“That too,” Elik smiled. He took his husband’s hand in his and kissed it. “Generosity stems from kindness, does it not?”

His husband stopped laughing. “It does, my sweet,” he smiled. “How right you are.” He picked up the last of the items on the tray, a small gold box. “This is also for you,” he said as he opened it and showed the pendant it contained to Elik, a large pearl that was mounted on delicate chains and with the wings and the neck and head of a swan made in silver and gold attached to it. A collar of small diamonds ran around the base of the swan’s neck. “A swan for my swan.”

Elik studied it. It was beautiful and exquisite but… “If the swan is my emblem, wouldn’t it make more sense for My Lord to have it?” He took it out of the box and placed it over his husband’s clothes, on the spot where his heart was beating, to see it better. Yes, it suited him well. “I would prefer it if My Lord kept it safe near his heart, where I hope he keeps me in his affection.” When his husband did not reply, he looked up. His husband looked at him strangely, and Elik couldn’t decipher his expression. “I was wrong to offer this back to My Lord, wasn’t I? he whispered. 

His husband shook his head slowly, took the pendant from Elik’s hands and put it back in its box. “Each time I think I can’t love you more, you prove me wrong,” he said with the same serious and strange expression. He turned to his courtiers. “Remember how you had been urging me to get married for the last five years? I’m glad I didn’t listen to you, for if I had, I would not have had this jewel as my consort. Sometimes, it is worth waiting. Speaking of waiting, what about you, Pavel? When will you get married?” 

Duke Vladimirov made a strange noise. “Me?”

“Yes, you. You are the only single man in my council now. You too should find yourself a wife, and experience the joys of having a partner who respects and honours you.”

“I agree,” said the Chancellor, glancing at his wife. “Nothing like a wife to make you feel respected.”

Lady Ekaterina raised her fan and raised an eyebrow behind it. 

Duke Vladimirov wrung his hands for a few moments. “Well, I have been thinking about it, Your Majesty,” he finally said. “And I think I have found a lady that would be most suitable for me. Your Majesty?”

Elik froze, realising that Duke Vladimirov was addressing him. “Yes, Your Grace?”

“Is Lady Irina betrothed to someone?”

Elik looked at his husband horrified and squeezed his arm. His sister was too young, and, in any case, the last thing he wanted was to see her married to that man. “She’s just a child,” he whispered to him. “No.”

His husband stared at Duke Vladimirov sternly. “Pavel. My sister-in-law is too young to marry.”

“I can wait, Your Majesty,” Duke Vladimirov replied immediately. “She is…”

“Pavel, are you an idiot?” His husband shouted, making the man cringe. “That woman, she will eat you alive. She is frightening. Believe me, you don’t want to marry her. No, when it is time for Lady Irina to marry, I will choose a suitable husband for her. Someone who will be able to…”

“Tame her?” someone from the back stage-whispered, giggling behind her fan. Elik did not recognise her voice. She must have been one of his Imperial cousins-in-law.

“No, I will choose someone who will be able to please her,” his husband said before Elik could reply.

“Please her how?” Elik whispered at his husband, unable to decide if he should be angry or not. He didn’t like his husband calling his sister ‘frightening’, but at the same time, he’d rather have the courtiers think Irina was terrifying and leave her alone. 

Glancing at him, his husband gestured. The courtiers hurried out of their bedroom, followed by the servants. “Darling, I promise you, I will not choose a husband that Lady Irina does not approve.”

“My Lord, Irina will choose her own husband. Or wife. Or, if she so chooses, she may take no partner.”

“Is that what women do at Quhjan? Do they choose their husbands?”

Elik shook his head. Back home, it would be his responsibility to examine the claim of her various suitors and choose one from them. “No, but they can separate from them if they are unhappy. My Lord, I don’t want my sister to be married to someone she can’t divorce, if she marries someone you choose, and according to yo… Bosilik laws. I know that, as your sister-in-law, her value is now great, but I would like her to be free to make her choice, and not be used as a pawn for an alliance. If it pleases you, My Lord,” he added quickly. 

His husband took the tray and put it on the floor. “Our marriage did not turn out unhappy, even though you didn’t choose me,” he said as he took Elik’s hand and pulled him up. “We need to go to the Throne room and accept more well-wishes for the joyful occasion,” he said as he went towards the bathroom. 

Elik started getting undressed. “My Lord is avoiding the discussion?” he asked loudly as he removed his dressing gown. 

“Your Lord agrees with you that Lady Irina is a child. There is no discussion to be had,” his husband shouted. “When she is older, we will talk again. All three of us.”

Elik threw the nightshirt off him and ran to the bathroom suite, where his husband was soaping his hands. “Thank you,” he said hugging him from behind. “My Lord, that makes me most happy.”

His husband chuckled. “I’m glad. Will you stop hugging me now?”

“Must I?” He tightened his hold. “My Lord has broad shoulders, but such a trim waist. It pleases me to hold him so.”

“Yes, I can feel that,” his husband laughed. 

So what that he was half-hard? “I can’t help it. My Lord is beautiful and most pleasing to my eyes and my hands and every other part of me.”

His husband shifted a little so he could push his backside against Elik’s groin. “Your cock is very warm,” his husband said quietly. “It feels very pleasant to me too. Darling, do you really enjoy it when I take you?”

Elik kissed his clothed shoulder blade and trailed his fingers lower, so he could feel his husband’s naked skin under his shirt. “Why do you ask me that? Don’t you believe me when I ask you to take me harder?” He caressed his husband’s underbelly, delighting in the feel of hard muscles under soft skin. 

“Humour me and answer me, darling,” his husband replied in a husky voice as he continued grinding against Elik as if he enjoyed making his cock harden through this. 

Well, perhaps he did. Elik decided to enjoy the feel of his husband’s tight, muscular ass against his cock. He kissed his back again. “My Lord is big, and when My Lord is full of vigour and enthusiasm, it is a bit uncomfortable, but I love it. I told you before, there is that place inside that…” Elik closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “It feels so good,” he moaned. “And the friction is maddeningly good when My Lord moves in and out, and…” he moaned again. “I can’t imagine anything better.”

“Hm.”

“Hm?”

“When you came to me, were you a virgin?”

Elik hit the side of his head against his husband’s back with frustration. “Of course I was. I told you earlier, didn’t I? When I first came to you, you had no doubt of that, but now you doubt me?” He wished his husband was completely naked so he could bite him and hurt him a little for his words.

“No, I don’t. I knew you hadn’t slept with men,” his husband said. “That’s what most people check when they get war-caught male brides. But you had slept with women, hadn’t you?”

Elik sighed. “No. I was too busy studying and learning how to fight, My Lord, to….”

“Really? A young man worth a thousand horses did not have time to fuck?” His husband asked, sounding amused and curious at the same time. 

“One does not become worthy of a thousand horses by fucking, My Lord,” he replied, offended. “I have studied math, I speak and write five languages, and I am just as good an archer and rider as I am with the sword. I even know how to use firearms. I gave good advice to my people once I became a member of the Council and…”

“Apologies,” his husband cut him off, grinning. “I see why you did not have time for fucking, and now I understand why you like it so much,” he said, reaching behind to caress Elik’s cock. His hand was oiled, and the touch sent shivers down Elik’s spine. 

“I like it so much because you please me.”

His husband snorted. His hand continued to tease him with slow, long strokes.

“And because it feels good,” Elik admitted, chuckling. “I had no idea it could feel so good.”

“You’re not as big as I am,” his husband continued. 

Elik snorted. “I doubt there’s any other man as big as you are, Husband.”

“Don’t you ever wish you could fuck someone? Bury your pretty, hard cock in a tight hole?”

Did His Lord think him one of his courtiers? Elik let him go and jumped away from him as if burned. “How dare you?”

His husband turned around. His cock rose proudly from the opening of his breeches, thick and long. “Why, darling? Isn’t that a reasonable question to ask? You were a virgin when you came to me, and you learned how to enjoy being taken. Don’t you ever wonder how it feels to take?” His eyes were shining, his smile was tempting, and his voice was husky. 

Elik felt trapped, even though he was the one standing with his back to the open door. “I can’t wonder.” He had come to serve His Lord, and that was his lot; he had accepted that. Anything else was pointless. 

“Why not?” His husband took a step closer. 

He knew he dwelt in the past a lot, but no one could accuse him of harbouring fruitless hopes for the future. “It’s best not to wonder about things that can’t be. Life is easier that way.” 

He took another step, still smiling seductively at him. “Why can’t it be, darling? I would let you take, if you wanted.”

“Well, I wouldn’t let myself,” Elik said, standing his ground. “I’m yours. I will not share my body with anyone but you, even if you order me.”

His husband’s smile widened. “You will uphold my honour to that degree? Everyone fucks around in my court, darling, and I have six more war-caught wives. I can fuck anyone I want, whenever I want. I wouldn’t mind if you did the same. After all, you outrank everyone now. No one would tell you no.”

Elik bit back the bitter reply that he knew very well that everyone fucked everyone in this court, not just because of how His Lord had treated him. How many times had he come across married men or women fucking their slaves in public, because the law allowed it? He also knew that His Lord had had six more wives before him, as well as countless lovers. Well-wishers used to leave little notes for him when he’d first arrived, telling him how His Lord would grow bored of him as he had of them. 

“You may do as you wish, My Lord,” Elik said proudly, “but I will not. I love you and you please me. I cannot betray myself and my love for you. I’m sorry, but I can’t participate in the glorified fuck-fest of this court.”

His husband froze. “Such words,” he gasped with surprised amusement.

“I served in the army for a while. I learned things. Swear words.” Elik felt his heart about to break free off his chest, it was beating so fast. What was he doing? And why couldn’t he stop? “I will never stop you from taking your pleasure wherever and whenever you want, with whomever you want, Your Majesty, since that is your right, and your law here, but let me be loyal to you alone as my heart desires. Please.”

His husband closed the distance between them and grabbed his wrist. “Fuck me,” he muttered as he walked out of the bathroom and headed towards their bed, pulling him. 

“Excuse me?”

He made Elik sit down and started divesting himself of his clothes. “I told you how you excite me when you burn with passion, darling,” he laughed, answering Elik’s stunned expression.

“Is this all a game to you?” Elik asked, trying to keep himself in check. 

“No, no, darling.” He stopped bothering with his coat and lowered his breeches with his undergarments.

Arguing might get his husband aroused, but it would not get him out of his boots. Elik slid off the bed, knelt before his husband, and started untying his laces. 

“You are so innocent in some things,” his husband sighed as he caressed his hair. “Don’t you know what it does to a man to hear his darling declare their love and devotion?”

Elik looked up. “If My Lord wanted to hear that, he only had to ask, instead of telling me I can take others.” He started on the second boot.

“You are right, my sweet. I only meant to tease you a little but you looked so gorgeous when you declared you were mine only, so proud and fierce and full of dignity, that I couldn’t stop.”

He took a deep breath. How could he complain that his husband was pitiless in his teasing when his husband complimented him like that? Since he couldn’t reply, he focused on the laces of the second boot and waited for his husband to sit down. 

“Are you mad at me?” his husband asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. 

Was he? “No.” If he were, he wouldn’t be pulling off his husband’s boots and socks. “But, please, don’t ask me to fuck others again. Not even as a joke. I won’t do that. Ever.” 

His husband lay down on the bed, grabbed the pillows, placed them under his lower back, and spread his legs. “But, would you fuck me?” he asked, crossing his arms behind his head, and smiling at him. 

He froze. His member was the only part of him that moved, hitting his belly with excitement. “You mean that?” 

“Yes, darling. Consider this a morning gift for both of us. If we like it, we can keep it. If not, we can put it aside.” He stroked himself leisurely. 

Elik knelt between his husband’s legs and took the bottle of oil from his hand. He poured a good amount on his fingers, and sighed. “Everything in your court is so refined, even the oil.”

“Our court, darling. Our court,” his husband smiled at him encouragingly as he spread his legs even further.

With a nod, Elik circled his husband’s hole with a finger, without penetrating him. It was so strange to touch that most intimate part. The furled skin felt so delicate and sensitive. He’d never even dared think that His Lord would allow this. “Your trust honours me.”

“You are my darling. If I can’t trust you, whom can I trust?”

Elik smiled. “And I only trust you, My Husband.” He poured a little more oil and finally pushed his fingertip inside that little hole. Even that touch made him realise why his husband talked of heat and softness when he described Elik’s own passage. The skin seemed to burn his finger, and it was softer than any fabric he’d ever worn. “How does this feel, My Husband?”

“It feels good.” He wiggled his ass a little, “I would like to feel more of it.”

Gently, Elik pushed his finger further inside him. 

“It feels a little strange,” his husband said. 

“Uncomfortable?” he asked, not wanting to hurt his husband more than he probably would. 

“Just strange. Please, continue.”

Elik smiled. “It always feels strange at first.”

“And uncomfortable?”

“A little,” he lied. His own first experience had just hurt. He poured more oil and continued stretching his husband’s passage with one finger. “We can stop, if you want.”

His husband shook his head. “I want to do this. Please, don’t stop.”

“As you wish.” He continued pressing slowly inside his husband, stopping for a while, and then starting again. 

“This takes forever,” his husband complained. 

“If I go faster, I will hurt you.”

“Your dick is not as big as mine. How can you hurt me?”

Elik sighed. “Believe me, Husband, even the smallest object can hurt there.” Even that thing they’d used to prepare him for His Lord taking him for the first time had caused him pain, and that was smaller than Elik’s own cock.

His husband’s eyes filled with regret. “You know that because I hurt you.”

“That’s in the past, My Love. Let me use my knowledge so that this will feel good for you.”

With a sigh, his husband looked up. “If our fortunes had been reversed, if I had been your war-caught bride, you would have taken the time to train me to take your dick the way you do now.”

“Why waste time thinking about what was not? Our fortunes were not reversed.” He removed his finger, poured more oil on his hand, and started massaging his husband’s tight little hole. “You won at Kiskun and I came to you. But I don’t regret it now. I learned a lot these months, and even the pain and the humiliation were…” He noticed his husband watching him intently, and with sadness. “You can’t regret what’s happened either, My Love. It’s all in the past.”

“So you say, but you still speak of pain and…” He winced. 

Elik stopped pressing his fingers further. “We can stop now and continue later.”

“No, no, please, continue.” 

He poured more oil and resumed stretching his husband. This time, he used his free hand to start stroking him at the same time. 

His husband shuddered. “This feels good, darling. I can take you now.”

He smiled. “You are still so tight, My Love. Be patient.” 

“Easy for you to say.”

Elik glanced down at his member, still too excited at the prospect of fucking. “I wouldn’t say that.”

His husband looked down as well. He chuckled. “Then stop being so cautious and fuck me.”

“Husband, there is a chance that even after I prepare you this will hurt. I cannot do this unless I know that I have tried my best not to cause you any pain.”

“So, if it hurts, it hurts. I’ve been wounded in battle. It can’t be worse. Can it?”

“It’s different from a battle wound, and, in a way, it’s worse.” He smiled at his husband, not wanting to dwell on that. “Have I told you how beautiful you are to me?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you are. Not because of your physical beauty, but because you are kind.” 

“And you are stalling. Surely I am ready now.”

Elik doubted it. “Give me a few more minutes. Please?” He poured more oil on his fingers and continued preparing him. A stroke up his husband’s shaft, and he widened his fingers inside him. A stroke down, and he closed them.

“I’m not sure I can last a few more minutes,” his husband suddenly told him. “Elik.”

Instead of stroking him, Elik pressed the base of his husband’s member for a few seconds. 

His husband closed his eyes with a deep moan. “Darling, if you have gained all this knowledge here, I shudder to think how wise you would be if you had started learning in Quhjan.”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing. Darling, I feel ready now. I want you.”

“Then you will have me.” He removed his fingers, poured more oil on his member, and pressed it against his husband’s passage. He suddenly smiled. “I love it when you do this,” he told him, rubbing the head of cock on the cleft of his husband’s ass and teasing the little opening. 

“Noted,” his husband grinned. “What else do you love?”

“Everything.” He caressed his husband’s cock as he finally pushed his member inside him. The feeling of sliding inside his husband was nothing like having his dick in his husband’s tight, warm palm, or even his mouth. It was tighter still; his husband was squeezing his member and it was a feeling he couldn’t describe any better. But this was not just for him; he forced himself to watch his husband’s face carefully for any discomfort. But, oh how difficult it was.

His husband seemed fine, though. “Oh, darling, this feels nice. Why are you going so slowly?”

Elik shook his head. Instead of getting into a discussion, he lifted his husband’s left leg and lowered himself so he could penetrate him fully. He needed to feel more of his warmth. 

“Darling,” his husband gasped.

He stopped.

“No, move. I feel stretched but,” he stared at him, “it’s so strange that you are there. It can feel your heartbeat, Elik, inside me,” he said, looking at him in wonder. 

“Husband,” Elik moaned as he leaned down for a kiss. He would never grow tired of kissing his husband, he was certain of it. One day, he’d have to ask him if they could just kiss. He was certain he would be able to come just by that. 

His husband caught him, wrapping one arm around his neck and keeping them. If he could, he would laugh with joy. He was trapped by his husband. His member was thrusting into the tightest, softest, hottest channel, his tongue was playing with his rival and friend, his hand couldn’t stop caressing his husband’s hard member, and he wouldn’t break the hold his husband had on him even if they offered him the world. Taking or being taken, it made no difference as long as his husband held him tightly and cherished him. 

Yes, here was his home. Here were all his earthly treasures. Here was his love, and Elik shuddered as he felt his husband’s channel clench around him, and his hot seed on him. His whole body singing with love, he came inside his husband, and let him hold him up as he trembled in the aftermath of his orgasm. 

His husband broke the kiss first. “Darling.”

“Love?”

His husband smiled at him and rubbed the tip of his nose against his. “Was it good for you?”

Elik nodded. “For you?”

“Yes.” He chuckled. He let go of his neck, and lowered his leg. “I can feel what you mean about pain and pleasure, but it was…” He looked up at the ceiling for a few moments. “It was intimate in a way that taking you wasn’t. Not that taking you isn’t intimate but…” He stared at Elik for a few moments. “It was good, but different.”

“Good, but different. Yes, that’s a good way to describe it.” He caressed his husband’s forehead. “I liked it. Thank you.”

“Just liked it?”

“No.” He grinned. “I loved it.” He tucked his husband’s hair behind his ears. “It was wonderful.” He sighed happily. “I used to think I was happy back home, with my books and my service, but I was sleeping. I came here, and you woke me up.” 

Even the pain and the humiliation had woken his body from the complacency of being well and healthy, and taught him how strong he was. If he had managed to survive those, he would be able to survive anything. But his husband had made him learn that his body was also capable of feeling pleasure and desire, and that he didn’t need to be alone. He liked this new body of his. It had been forged in anguish and it hadn’t broken. His husband had kept it safe. 

His husband caressed his hair. “You did something to me too, but I don’t know what yet.” He laughed. “When I find out, you’ll be the first to know.”

He nodded. He too wanted to know. Slowly, he pulled out, instantly regretting losing the connection with his husband. But by then he knew the cure for that ache inside him. He curled around him and let his head rest of his chest. A moment later, his husband embraced him. 

“We should move,” he told him sleepily. 

“Yes,” he agreed, closing his eyes. 

“They are waiting for us.”

“I know.”

His husband’s hand fell heavy on his shoulder. “They can wait a little longer.”

He nodded. “That’s not right.”

“I know.” 

Elik sat up. “This is really not right. We can’t keep our guests waiting.”

“I know.” His husband smiled at him. He reached for the bell, and rang it. Moments later one of the servants was at the door. “Inform my Chancellor that We will receive Our guests in His Majesty’s apartments in,” he looked at the stately clock in the corner, “in ten minutes.” 

He bowed and left them.

Elik frowned. His husband slapped his ass. “Up, up, we must be ready in ten minutes. You were in the army, right? Show me your skills in dressing in five, soldier,” he grinned as he rolled off the bed. 

“Five for dressing and four for bathroom visit?” he laughed as he slid off the bed. “Yes, sir, yes,” he shouted and then ran to the bathroom to take a piss. 

“Ouch, this is not a good feeling,” his husband complained loudly from the bedroom.

“I would not recommend riding today,” Elik told him loudly. He washed his hands, soaping them over and over to get the oil residue off his fingers. “How on earth will we be in my room in a minute?” he asked when he came out, noting that his husband had already laid out their clothes on their bed. 

His husband pointed up, one sock in his hand. “New rooms. Over mine. Empress’s privilege.” He winked at him. “You’ll love them.”

“I’ll love anything as long as you’re with me.”

“Ah, darling,” he sighed as he headed to the bathroom, breeches and shirt in hand. “Who made this custom a rule to receive guests the morning after?”

“Eh… Mikhail II.”

“He must have hated his wife.”

“Probably.”

A few minutes later his husband came out of the bathroom, wearing his breeches and in the process of tying the cord that tightened the collar of his shirt. “Darling, since you’re finished with your trousers, can you do my boots so I can button my vest and coat? I’ll do yours while you continue getting dressed.”

“Husband, you are pleased with me?” he asked happily as he knelt and started tying his husband's bootlaces.

“Greatly,” his husband purred. “Who made the rule for wearing vests and coats with buttons indoors?”

“Not sure. Just leave them open. Your shirt is clean and with no holes.”

He was certain he heard his husband say something like ‘rough around the edges’ but he wasn’t sure. 

“Maybe we should start wearing shoes not boots indoors.” Especially if they were going to make it a habit to be late for their duties because they did other things. 

“Boots are nicer, though.”

Elik looked up his husband’s firm and muscular leg. “They do suit you, My Lord.” He couldn’t help caressing his husband’s inner thigh. “They accentuate your legs and your thighs and…”

“Darling, we have three minutes.”

“Yes, sir,” he saluted him and finished tying the laces. Then he ran to the closet, took his boots out and slipped them on his feet. “You will really tie my boots?” 

His husband handed him his shirt and knelt before him. “Two minutes.” 

He pulled his shirt on, grabbed his vest from the bed and started buttoning its upper buttons. Ladies had frills but men had so many buttons. Who made the rules for these impractical ways of dressing? 

His husband winked at him.

“We should start wearing boots without laces. Would be faster. Not that I don’t like this view,” he muttered, deciding to not bother with coat buttons at all. 

Chortling, his husband stood up. “One minute.” He grabbed his wrist and pulled him as he ran across the room to a small door next to a tall cabinet. 

Elik followed him laughing. He couldn’t wait to see his new rooms and later, when everyone was gone, try out their new bed. Would his husband be amenable to being taken again? Because Elik would like that very, very much. 

What monster had His Lord created when he’d first woken his body? Elik did not know, nor did he care, but while he could, and he was able, he would take all the pleasure he could from his husband.

Any man worth a thousand horses would do the same. 

The end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for now! Thank you SO MUCH for reading!
> 
> There may be more to follow - maybe side-stories, maybe time-stamps. I have some ideas (a lot of them super fluffy and sweet - lol), but for now, this is it.
> 
> Again, thank you so much!


End file.
